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AULNAY    TOWER 


AULNAY    TOWER 


BY 


BLANCHE    WILLIS    HOWARD 

AUTHOR  OF  "GUENN,"  "AUNT  SERENA,"  "ONE  SUMMER," 
ETC. 


BOSTON 
TICKNOR     AND     COMPANY 

1885 


Copyright,  1885, 

BY    TlCKNOR    AND    COMPANY. 

All  rights  reserved. 


JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE. 


AULNAY   TOWER. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

THE  Tower  stood  squarely  on  the  old  stone  church 
and  commanded  the  plain.  In  its  base  was  a  rough 
room  with  loop-hole  windows,  through  which  •  cool 
breezes  played  even  when  the  midsummer  sun  shone 
hot  upon  giant  wheat-stacks  and  blue-bloused  reap 
ers  in  the  fields  below,  and  upon  parched  white 
high-roads  stretching  away  between  lines  of  poplars 
from  village  to  village.  Skirting  the  meadow,  the 
deep  shades  of  the  forest  of  Bondy  massed  themselves 
strongly.  Gone  were  its  storied  days  of  demon, 
witch,  and  goblin ;  gone  the  surpassing  glory  of  its 
bandit  chiefs,  their  wild  carousals  and  mad,  late 
rides,  when  no  honest  peasant  for  leagues  around 
dared  venture  out  after  nightfall.  All,  indeed,  that 
remained  of  its  brave  tradition  were  a  few  attenuated 
terrors,  conjured  up  by  village  mothers  —  according 


M181C94 


8  AULNAY  TOWER. 

to  the  pleasing  method  of  all  nations  —  to  frighten 
recreant  children  into  the  path  of  virtue. 

In  the  wide  range  of  the  Tower,  from  the  forest 
over  the  plain,  lay  many  a  rich  farm,  many  a  stately 
country  seat  and  thrifty  village.  The  Ourcq  Canal 
cut  sharply  through  the  green  expanse  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  bearing  on  its  slow  waters  traffic  and 
merchandise  to  the  great  city.  Paris  itself  was  per 
ceptible  by  the  glow  of  light  against  the  night  skies, 
and  when  the  wind  was  west,  by  the  distant  chiming 
of  its  bells. 

Directly  beneath  the  Tower  rose  the  turrets  of  the 
chateau,  connected  with  the  church  by  an  arched 
gallery  through  which  the  marquis  —  especially  now 
that  he  was  more  or  less  an  invalid  —  went  to  mass 
in  stormy  weather.  The  cottages  of  the  village  folk 
clustered  close  about  his  gates;  the  village  interests 
crowded  volubly  and  affectionately  into  his  home, 
as  if  all  distances  and  barriers  between  them  were 
spanned  by  innumerable  unseen  arches,  making 
church,  chateau,  and  village  one. 

Countess  Nathalie,  wandering  listlessly  under  the 
great  drooping  trees  of  the  park,  absorbed  in  thoughts 
too  sombre  for  her  youth,  found  the  cheery  bustle 
of  the  village  insupportable,  and  silently  protested 


AULNAY  TOWER.  9 

against  the  enforced  intimacy.  Why  could  she  never 
be  alone  1  Why  must  her  reveries  be  disturbed  by 
the  gossiping  women  on  the  common,  by  the  sun- 
browned  men  coming  noisily  to  and  from  the  fields 
and  pouring  gayly  into  the  dram-shop  ?  Why  should 
she  be  their  involuntary  boon  companion  as  they 
sipped  the  solace  of  the  little  glass  ?  Why,  when 
the  women  related  interesting  family  events,  was  she 
their  unwilling  confidante,  gaining  incontrovertible 
wisdom  as  to  babies'  teeth,  and  sheep  and  calves  ? 
Why  must  the  odious  pedler,  with  his  strident  voice, 
beady  black  eyes,  and  high,  springless  cart,  rattle 
regularly  into  her  meditations  every  Sunday  morn 
ing,  as  regularly  as  he  came  to  make  bargains  and 
bold  jokes  over  his  pots  and  pans,  and  disseminate 
his  shallow,  free-thinking  philosophy  among  the 
workmen  in  the  cabaret  ?  She  was  not  unkind,  but 
she  had  her  griefs,  and  being  young,  wished  the  world 
to  be  quiet  that  she  might  brood  over  them.  She 
was  not  unsympathetic,  but  she  sympathized  most 
with  herself.  When  the  village  had  a  sorrow,  she 
observed  that  it  proclaimed  it  from  the  house-tops  or 
called  in  the  neighbors  and  eased  itself  with  demon 
stration.  She  did  not  realize  that  the  poor  have  no 
time  to  nurse  heartaches  gracefully,  that  the  necessity 


10  A  ULNA  Y   TOWER. 

of  labor  drives  them  resistlessly  on,  and  the  tyranny 
of  daily  routine  excludes  fine  ceremony  in  the  pres 
ence  of  either  love  or  sorrow.  Quite  unconscious 
of  its  various  delinquencies,  the  village  unanimously 
adored  the  beautiful  young  countess,  peered  eagerly 
into  the  park  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  black-robed 
figure  haunting  the  acacia- walk,  rejoiced  greatly 
when  she  came  into  their  cottages  or  talked  with 
them  on  the  common,  chattered  much  of  her  in  their 
own  way,  hoped  she  would  marry  again  soon,  for  it 
was  a  sin  and  a  shame  to  think  of  the  pretty  dear 
being  a  widow  at  her  age,  and  the  wonder  was,  —  if 
Jacques,  the  deceased  count's  stud-groom  and  an 
Aulnay  man,  spoke  true,  —  that  she  could  mourn  at 
all  for  the  old  reprobate ;  but  mourn  she  did,  or  what 
meant  her  still  ways,  and  her  pacing,  pacing,  hour 
after  hour,  her  hands  clasped  before  her,  her  head 
bent  down?  So  the  village  lavished  upon  her  its 
unrequited  affection,  finding  a  charm  and  a  grace  in 
all  that  she  did ;  and  Countess  Nathalie,  although 
benevolent  and  gracious  as  it  was  the  duty  of  a 
Montauban  to  be,  loved  the  village  not  a  whit,  con 
demned  its  noisy  lamentations  as  heartless  because 
devoid  of  reserve,  regarded  its  coarse  joys  from 
the  heights  of  her  fastidious  mental  distance,  and 


AULNAY  TOWER.  11 

wearied  unutterably  of  its  obtrusive  cackling  and 
crowing  and  bleating,  and  the  whole  interminable 
rustic  chorus. 

Neither  to  her  uncle  the  marquis,  nor  to  his  friend 
the  abbe,  did  she  express  these  unreasonable  sen 
timents.  Indeed  there  was  much,  reasonable  and 
unreasonable,  which  it  never  occurred  to  her  to  com 
municate  to  them.  The  marquis  was  proud  of  her,  and 
found  her  conduct  appropriate  and  graceful  in  the 
extreme.  What,  under  the  circumstances,  could  be 
in  better  taste  than  a  prolonged  retirement  from  the 
world  ?  Scarcely  twenty- three  years  old,  beautiful, 
rich,  and  a  Montauban,  a  woman  could  well  disdain 
any  vulgar  eagerness  to  reappear  in  the  matrimonial 
market.  Moreover,  it  was  agreeable  to  him  to  retain 
her  charming  presence  in  his  household  as  long  as 
possible.  In  his  estimation  she  was  one  of  the  most 
satisfactory  women  he  had  known :  clear-eyed,  clear- 
voiced,  calm  and  restful  in  her  movements,  never 
sulked,  indulged  in  ejaculations,  or  made  scenes,  never 
demanded  flattery  or  petting,  —  not  only  a  charming 
woman,  but  a  woman  of  surprising  distinction  and 
repose  for  her  years.  He  deemed  himself  fortunate 
in  his  surroundings ;  for  he  could  emphatically  affirm 
that  the  marquise,  of  sainted  memory,  had  also  been 


12  AULNAY  TO  WEE. 

a  most  congenial  person.  Of  her  character  it  was 
only  necessary  to  state  that  in  forty  years  of  married 
life  he  had  never  known  her  to  irritate  his  nerves  by 
an  abrupt  gesture  or  a  harsh  intonation.  As  loud- 
voiced,  ugly  women  with  mental  or  physical  angu 
larities  were  his  horror,  so  a  sentimental  woman, 
an  unconventional  woman,  a  woman  with  aspirations, 
opinions  of  her  own,  or  a  history,  was  all  very  well 
as  a  youthful  pastime,  but  intolerable  to  a  man  of 
taste  as  a  life-long  companion.  Congratulating  him 
self,  therefore,  upon  the  translucent  perfection  of 
the  femineity  in  the  chateau,  he  would  have  been  in 
despair  had  he  once  had  occasion  to  suspect  the  de 
plorable  qualities  latent  in  his  niece,  and  of  which 
she  herself  was  but  vaguely  conscious.  Her  senti 
ment,  aspiration,  emotion,  were  by  no  means  in  a 
soporific  state.  She  had  a  dangerous  tendency  to 
independent  thought,  heretical  views  as  to  certain 
sacred  social  fictions,  and  was  even  capable  of  having 
what  many  people  would  call  nothing  less  than  a 
history.  Countess  Nathalie  was  regarded  then  with 
unqualified  approval  and  pride,  yet  lived  as  far  from 
the  chateau  as  from  the  village,  until  days  came 
which  drew  her  thoughts  from  herself  and  nearer 
to  her  uncle,  —  days  when  she  longed  for  the  village 


AULNAY  TOWER.  13 

with  all  its  sights  and  sounds  close  before  her  eyes, 
loud  in  her  ears,  intrusive,  persistent,  dominant. 
Its  dirtiest  baby  she  would  have  clasped  to  her  heart 
with  a  thousand  kisses  and  blessings.  She  wished 
the  dram-shop  were  crowded  with  the  most  uncon 
scionable  men.  No  gossip  could  be  too  vulgar  for 
her  indulgence.  She  would  have  welcomed  even 
the  pedler. 

For  the  cannon  of  Sedan  were  silent,  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  was  a  prisoner,  the  Germans  were  approach 
ing  Paris,  where  a  provisional  government  under 
General  Trochu  had  been  established.  The  Aulnay 
village  folk  fled  with  their  household  gods.  But  the 
Marquis  de  Montauban,  contrary  to  the  example  of 
his  peers  on  all  the  estates  in  that  region,  and  in 
spite  of  instructions  from  the  capital,  had  chosen  to 
await  in  his  ancestral  home  the  approach  of  the 
enemy. 

By  command  of  the  French  committee  of  defence, 
as  well  as  from  fear  of  the  besieging  army,  the  coun 
try  for  miles  around  Paris  was  deserted.  Scarcely  a 
living  thing  belonging  to  the  soil  remained,  except 
everywhere  the  poor  forlorn  cats  that  lingered  tena 
ciously  in  the  familiar  places,  wailing  incessantly  at 
night  about  the  desolate  homesteads.  Fruit  trees  and 


14  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

vineyards  told  their  tale  of  departed  thrift  and  peace, 
and  afforded  a  welcome  refreshment  to  the  soldiers, 
cut  off  by  their  rapid  inarches  from  the  supplies 
which,  owing  to  the  destruction  of  the  railways,  were 
often  considerably  in  the  rear.  But  the  cattle  and 
all  means  of  subsistence  had  been  removed,  the  grain- 
fields  were  one  sad  expanse  of  ashes,  the  very  air, 
once  alive  with  the  stir  of  farms,  the  sounds  of  toil, 
calls  from  the  meadows,  voices  and  movement  on 
the  highways,  now  hung  like  a  pall  over  manor  and 
hamlet.  A  vast  dreariness  pervaded  the  whole  land 
scape.  Into  this  silent  land  came  the  great  invading 
army  with  its  ominous  discords  of  war. 

When  the  investment  of  Paris  was  accomplished, 
Aulnay  lay  hopelessly  in  the  German  lines.  The 
Maas  army,  under  the  Crown  Prince  of  Saxony, 
occupied  the  right  bank  of  the  Seine  and  lower 
Marne,  on  the  line  Argenteuil,  Blanc  Mesnil,  through 
the  forest  of  Bondy  to  Gournay  on  the  Marne ;  one 
division  reached  from  Aulnay,  where  it  touched  upon 
the  Garde  Corps,  to  Clichy ;  another  from  Clichy  to 
Chelles.  The  headquarters  of  the  Saxon  corps  were 
at  Vert  Galant,  a  charming  and  well-preserved  estate 
on  the  Metz  road,  with  gardens  extending  to  the 
lovely  Bois  de  St.  Denis. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  15 

In  the  entire  district  occupied  by  the  twenty-third 
Saxon  division  only  Chateau  d'Aulnay  was  inhab 
ited,  and  at  Sevran,  on  the  Ourcq  Canal,  where  in 
days  of  peace  low  willows  drooped  over  slow  barges 
passing  heavily  all  day  long,  two  fishermen  were 
left  unmolested  in  their  hut,  the  fish  they  caught 
being  a  welcome  addition  to  the  meagre  rations. 
The  Germans  had  speedily  dammed  the  Ourcq  Canal 
and  Mentone  brook,  which,  overflowing  their  low 
banks  before  the  line  Livry,  Sevran,  Aulnay,  Blanc 
Mesnil,  formed  against  the  French  an  impassable 
barrier,  and  for  the  fishermen  a  broad  lake  upon 
which  their  little  boats  were  constantly  seen. 

The  conspicuous  fact  that  the  Marquis  de  Mon- 
tauban  and  his  little  family  remained  at  Aulnay 
could  not  fail  to  give  rise  to  speculations  on  the 
part  of  the  Germans.  The  chateau  was  a  charm 
ing  country-seat,  a  large,  massive,  comfortable,  and 
friendly  house,  but  by  no  means  so  richly  appointed 
as  many  places  in  that  region,  —  Clichy  and  Mont- 
fermeil,  for  instance,  whose  owners  had,  nevertheless, 
not  deemed  it  incumbent  to  stay  and  guard  their 
treasures.  In  the  temporarily  uncertain  condition  of 
Trance  no  available  political  reasons  could  be  suffi 
cient  explanation  of  his  conduct.  It  was  decided  to 


16  AULNAY  TOWER. 

subject  the  family  to  close  surveillance,  and  they 
were  forbidden  under  severe  penalty  to  cross  the 
boundaries  of  court-yard  and  park. 

It  would  be  perhaps  unjust,  or  at  least  inaccurate, 
to  bluntly  state  that  the  Countess  Nathalie  de  Val- 
lauris  actually  enjoyed  this  painful  situation.  Still, 
if  one  has  been  more  or  less  wretched  in  a  blind 
way  for  some  years,  rebellious  yet  hardly  knowing 
against  what,  conscious  of  wrongs  which  one's  princi 
ples  and  traditions  forbid  one  to  openly  resent,  eager 
in  every  heart-throb  yet  restricted  perpetually  by 
the  most  adamantine  if  highly  polished  conven 
tionalities,  it  is  surely  a  vast  relief  to  one's  over 
charged  emotions  to  find  something  positive  which  it 
is  a  duty  to  roundly  hate.  Upon  the  Germans,  then, 
from  the  moment  they  appeared  upon  her  mental 
horizon  until  upon  the  familiar  landscape  of  Aulnay 
the  hostile  army  intruded  its  sullen  tramp,  its  clang 
of  arms,  its  roll  of  artillery,  its  piercing  bugle-call, 
its  swift  hoofs  carrying  messengers  of  destruction, 
its  hoarse  murmur,  its  fatal  omnipotence,  she  lavished 
the  pent-up  resentment  of  years. 

And  the  other  prisoners  beneath  the  shadow  of 
the  Tower  ?  The  mails  having  ceased,  the  marquis 
read  old  newspapers  instead  of  new ;  he  contented 


AULNAY  TOWER.  17 

himself,  there  being  a  scarcity  of  meat,  with  a  super 
abundance  of  potatoes  and  salad ;  and  since  he  was 
restricted  to  his  park,  he  tacitly  reasserted  his  dig 
nity  by  confining  himself  exclusively  to  his  own 
rooms.  But  he  could  not  and  would  not  assume 
other  manners  for  the  novel  situation.  His  antique 
urbanity  disdained  to  be  ruffled  by  the  curious  liber 
ties  foreign  soldiers  were  taking  with  his  domain, 
still  less  by  the  wild  eccentricities  of  Paris  procla 
mations.  When  he  told  his  good  story  at  dinner,  — 
the  marquis's  story  was  always  good,  only  a  good  one 
could  last  so  long,  —  or  sat  down  to  his  game  of 
piquet  or  bezique  with  the  Abbe  de  ISFavailles,  his 
smile,  though  somewhat  vague,  was  calm  and  courte 
ous,  his  air  loftily  unconscious  that  two  great  nations 
were  cannonading  each  other  at  his  portals,  and  that 
the  world  was  breathlessly  awaiting  the  result.  His 
table-talk  airily  ignored  the  Germans,  his  own  aches 
and  pains,  and  every  other  topic  which  a  high-bred 
man  would  naturally  exclude  as  ungraceful  and 
unappetizing.  He  moistened  his  handkerchief  fre 
quently  with  eau-d'Houbigant,  and  mentioned  one 
day,  gratefully,  that  he  had  always  found  its  refresh 
ing  odor  a  delicate  consolation  in  sorrow. 

It  was  a  recognized  comfort  to  every  one  that  the 
2 


18  AULNAY  TOWER. 

abbe  remained.  A  man  of  spiritual,  even  ascetic 
life,  friend  and  guide  of  the  marquis  for  years,  his 
influence  on  the  household  was  boundless.  He  occu 
pied  himself  now,  as  before,  chiefly  with  his  books. 
His  thoughtful  face  was  unmoved  by  wars  and 
rumors  of  wars,  and  he  always  found  time  to  comfort 
them  all  with  a  wisely  chosen  word.  Old  Jean,  a 
kind  of  heirloom  among  the  family  servants,  —  in 
deed,  the  Tower  itself  could  have  been  prevailed 
upon  to  leave  Aulnay  before  Jean,  in  spite  of  a 
chronic  objection  to  the  sound  of  a  gun,  would  have 
deserted  the  marquis,  —  felt  like  a  hero  when  the 
abbe*  quietly  praised  his  faithfulness  and  calmed  his 
shaking  nerves.  The  cook  ceased  her  lamentations 
for  her  husband  the  coachman,  who  had  been  swept 
away  with  the  horses  by  the  first  detachments  of 
light  cavalry,  and  grew  sanguine  in  her  views,  after 
a  word  from  the  abbe.  Manette,  Countess  Nathalie's 
gay  little  Paris  maid,  pronounced  it  a  blessing  and 
mercy  that  the  holy  man,  with  his  head  like  a  real 
saint,  was  there  to  say  mass,  —  not  to  mention  that  it 
was  a  pleasure  to  see  his  handsome  face  on  the  stairs 
or  anywhere ;  and  when  Pierre  and  Antoine,  the 
fishermen  on  the  Ourcq  Canal,  came  with  their  fish, 
ostensibly  for  fast-days, —  as  if  all  days  were  not  fasts 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  19 

now,  —  no  one  could  have  been  kinder  than  M.  1'Abbe, 
who  talked  with  them  of  their  wives  and  children, 
dispelled  their  homesickness,  and  sat  with  them 
long  in  the  sacristy  discussing  many  things  for  their 
edification.  But  since  even  in  the  best-regulated 
families  perfect  unanimity  of  sentiment  is  rare, 
Countess  Nathalie's  voice  was  never  heard  swelling 
this  psean  of  praise.  She  went  her  way  as  quietly 
as  the  Abbe  de  ISTavailles  went  his,  never  opposed  or 
criticised  him.  But  sometimes  in  the  library,  even 
ings,  as  his  interesting  dark  head  was  bent  over 
his  piquet  cards,  and  the  marquis  smilingly  ex 
pounded  the  extreme  finesse  of  his  last  game,  she 
would  raise  her  eyes  from  her  book  with  a  long, 
searching  glance ;  and  if  the  marquis  had  suddenly 
turned  his  aristocratic  profile,  he  might  have  been 
startled  by  a  shade  of  impatience,  it  may  be  even 
suspicion,  hovering  over  the  brow  of  his  young  niece 
as  she  meditated  upon  the  pleasing  family  group. 

It  would  almost  seem  that  the  marquis's  persistent 
ignoring  of  evils  which  he  was  powerless  to  remove 
ought  to  have  merited  something  better  than  the 
aggressive  precipitation  of  those  very  evils  upon 
himself.  But  sometimes  fate  administers  curious 
rewards  to  the  philosopher  —  and  the  ostrich.  Into 


20  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

Aulnay  village  marched,  one  morning,  several  com 
panies  of  Saxon  grenadiers.  The  marquis  betook 
himself  to  bed.  Some  forms  of  disgust  are  as  acute 
as  gout.  His  indisposition  at  least  saved  him  from 
the  pain  of  seeing  a  fresh-colored  German  orderly 
gallop  up  to  his  seignorial  gates  and  demand  en 
trance.  Finding  them  barred  and  bolted,  the  rider 
shook  them  vigorously,  and  peremptorily  repeated 
his  request. 

Old  Jean,  crouching  behind  them,  trembling  like 
a  leaf  in  the  autumn  blast,  —  his  loyalty  bidding 
him  stay,  his  cowardice  prompting  flight  to  the  most 
remote  coal-bin  in  the  cellar,  —  unfortunately  be 
trayed  himself  by  a  nervous  cough. 

Young  Johann  Wackermann  heard  him,  grinned, 
straightened  himself,  saluted  mechanically,  stared 
stiffly  at  the  wall,  and  roared  in  the  direction  of  the 
cough :  "  You  Frenchman,  hiding  behind  that  gate,  I 
announce,  most  obediently  at  your  service,  that  the 
colonel  and  staff-officers  of  the  twenty-third  Saxon 
grenadiers  will  quarter  at  this  chateau  from  this  day 
on,  and  that  the  regiment  will  occupy  the  village." 

Eeceiving  no  response,  he  pounded  on  the  gate  with 
his  sword-hilt :  "  Open,  man ;  open,  I  tell  you ! " 

"  You  German  fiend  on  horseback,  how  dare  you 


AULNAY  TOWER.  21 

pound  the  Marquis  of  Montauban's  property  ?" 
screamed  old  Jean.  "  If  I  were  as  young  as  I  used 
to  be,  I  'd  come  out  there  and  teach  you  manners  ! " 

Honest  Johann  Wackermann  understood  the  spirit 
if  not  the  letter  of  this  greeting,  grinned  no  longer, 
but  glared  as  fiercely  at  the  gate  as  the  limitations 
of  his  broad,  good-natured  countenance  would  permit. 
"Don't  rave  at  me  in  your  cursed  Kauterwelsch,"  he 
roared  with  his  great  voice,  "  for  I  don't  know  a  word 
of  it  except  eau-de-vie  and  pang ;  you're  an  im 
pudent  French  jackanapes,  —  that's  what  you  are! 
But  you  can't  carry  a  stone  wall  round  with  you  all 
the  time,  and  1 11  meet  you  face  to  face  before  long, 
or  my  name 's  not  Johann  Wackermann  ! " 

Jean's  aged  treble  responded  like  a  fife  after  a  deep 
bassoon.  Both  men  raised  their  voices  more  and 
more,  not  only  from  anger,  but  because  one  instinc 
tively  assumes  that  foreigners  are  deaf.  The  animated 
scene  might  have  continued  long,  —  for  Jean  was 
frantic  with  indignation,  and  the  Teuton's  fresh- 
colored  face  was  assuming  a  deeply  irate  hue,  — 
when  Countess  Nathalie,  followed  by  Manette,  came 
into  the  court-yard. 

"Hush,  Jean,"  she  said  gravely.  "What  is  this 
disturbance  ?  You  will  annoy  the  marquis.  Is  it 


AULNAY  TOWER. 

not  enough  that  the  village  is  full  of  men  and  guns 
and  strange  noises,  but  you  must  forget  yourself  in 
this  way  ? " 

"  Madame  knows  well/'  responded  the  old  man 
deferentially,  "  that  it  is  not  I,  but  this  German  boor, 
who  will  not  make  war  quietly ;  and  where  the  honor 
of  the  Montaubans  is  concerned,  I  am  like  a  lion : 
I  know  no  bounds." 

She  repressed  a  smile;  Manette  giggled  aggressively. 
"  We  know  your  devotion,  my  good  Jean,"  said  the 
countess  soothingly,  "  but  what  does  the  man  want  ? 
Why,  the  gates  are  locked  !  Open  them  instantly, 
Jean.  He  will  not  eat  us,"  she  added,  smiling  en 
couragingly  at  him  as  he  still  hesitated. 

In  rode  the  German  orderly,  angry  and  zealous ;  but 
when  he  saw  the  highly  respectable  old  enemy  with 
a  face  as  white  as  his  cravat,  a  broad,  slow  smile 
broke  over  his  own  ruddy  countenance,  and  he  re 
lieved  himself  by  a  strong  ejaculation  in  his  native 
tongue.  Then  he  turned  his  gaze  upon  the  countess 
and  the  little  maid,  and  his  smile  deepened  and 
broadened  marvellously,  and  his  blue  eye  shone  with 
satisfaction ;  for  Johann  Wackermann  had  a  soft 
heart  in  his  big  body,  and  he  began  to  rejoice  might 
ily  that  he  was  coming  at  last  to  a  Christian  kind  of 


AULNAY  TOWER.  23 

a  place,  where  there  was  a  beautiful  lady  and  a  pretty 
little  maid,  it  was  so  long  since  he  had  seen  so  pleas 
ant  a  sight. 

"  What  do  you  want  ? "  demanded  the  countess  in 
German. 

He  gave  his  message  with  his  stentorian  voice  and 
square,  soldierly  bearing,  then  made  softest  sheep's- 
eyes  of  honest  admiration  at  Manette,  who  ardently 
reciprocated  from  behind  her  mistress's  shoulder. 

Great  was  Countess  Nathalie's  consternation.  Ten 
strange  men  !  No,  this  was  too  much  !  How  would 
her  poor  uncle  bear  it  ? 

"  Very  good,"  she  said  coldly.     "  You  can  go." 

"  May  I  beg  to  inspect  the  rooms,"  persisted  the 
orderly,  "  and  the  stables  ? " 

"  As  you  please,"  said  the  countess.  After  which 
ceremony  Wackermann's  resounding  "  Gracious  lady ! " 
seemed  to  fill  the  court-yard ;  his  salute  was  a  credit 
to  the  Saxon  grenadiers;  his  eyes  were  as  tender 
as  German  love-songs  as  he  spurred  his  horse,  rode 
handsomely  out  of  the  gates  into  the  village  street, 
and  galloped  under  the  arch  between  chateau  and 
church. 

"  That 's  what  I  call  a  man ! "  sighed  Manette  in 
ecstasy,  casting  a  malicious  glance  at  Jean. 


24  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  countess  reflected.  Looking  gravely  at  the 
servants,  she  announced :  "  Ten  German  officers  are 
coming  here  to-day." 

Jean  gasped,  "  Not  to  the  chateau,  madame  ? " 

"  To  the  chateau." 

Manette  raised  her  eyes  devoutly  to  heaven.  "Then 
war  has  its  uses ! "  she  exclaimed  with  joy  and 
gratitude. 

"Manette!"  reproved  her  mistress. 

"Madame  will  pardon  me,  but  if  the  gentlemen 
are  all  as  big  and  blue-eyed  as  that  brave  soldier, 
would  that  not  be  a  distraction  in  this  dead-and- 
alive  chateau? " 

"  Heartless  and  vain  coquette ! "  muttered  Jean. 

"It  is  not  our  war,"  persisted  the  girl  gayly.  "  We 
are  Legitimists.  Can  we  help  it  if  the  Paris  mob  gets 
into  rows  with  big  blue-eyed  nations?  And  can  one 
die  for  one's  country  all  day  long,  week  in  and  week 
out?" 

The  countess  smiled,  and  said  gently:  "  It  is  dull 
here  for  a  young  thing  like  you.  That  is  why  I  per 
mit  your  lively  tongue  some  extra  liberty." 

"Madame  is  very  good,"  returned  Manette  demurely. 

"  Cheer  up,  Jean.  It  is  not  a  pleasant  prospect, 
but  it  probably  will  not  last  forever."  That  is  the  one 


AULNAY  TOWER.  25 

consolation  that  never  fails  us,  she  thought  drearily. 
"  Go  at  once  and  look  after  the  rooms.  We  must 
make  what  preparations  we  can.  Give  the  strangers 
the  best  of  everything.  The  hospitality  of  the  chateau 
must  not  lose  its  reputation,  eh,  Jean  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,"  responded  the  old  man  gloomily. 

After  a  pause  she  continued:  "You  may  put 
me  in  my  little  old  turret-room,  where  I  slept 
when  I  was  a  child.  I  shall  be  well  out  of  the 
way  there." 

"  Yes,  madame,"  he  groaned. 

"  How  interesting  it  all  is  1  Who  would  have 
thought  we  should  ever  have  had  such  good  for 
tune  ! "  exclaimed  Manette  excitedly.  "  Ten  gentle 
men  !  But,  good  heavens !  what  will  they  eat  ? 
Ten  appetites  !  Dear,  Dear ! " 

"  Are  there  no  fish,  Manette  ? "  asked  the  countess 
anxiously. 

"  Yes,  madame ;  happily  Antoine  has  just  brought 
a  quantity  of  fine  ones." 

"  It  is  well.  Otherwise  they  would  have  only  salad 
for  dinner,"  added  the  countess  grimly.  "  One  cannot 
give  more  than  one  has." 

"  Fish  and  salad  never  gave  that  beautiful  rider  his 
rosy  cheeks  ! " 


26  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"Manette,  if  your  spirits  were  somewhat  more 
moderate,  and  yours,  my  poor  Jean,  a  little  less  lugu 
brious,  it  might  be  desirable  for  the  general  good. 
But  we  must  all  do  the  best  we  can.  Courage,  Jean," 
smiling  indulgently  at  the  disconsolate  old  servant. 
"It's  bad,  I  admit;  but  it  might  be  worse.  They 
are  only  Germans ;  they  might  be  savages  —  can 
nibals.  Manette,  beg  the  abbe  to  have  the  kindness 
to  come  to  me  in  the  library." 

"Yes,  madame,  M.  1'Abbe  is  in  the  sacristy  with 
Antoine.  I  will  tell  him  at  once,"  replied  the  maid, 
tripping  brightly  away  as  if  life  were  one  grand 
holiday,  with  music  and  dancing. 

Countess  Nathalie,  in  spite  of  her  amiable  efforts 
to  comfort  old  Jean,  felt,  if  not  his  painful  tremors, 
equally  depressed  and  full  of  forebodings.  "0  my 
poor  little  village,  how  ungrateful  I  was  when  I  had 
you ! "  she  murmured  repentantly.  "  How  impatient 
and  selfish  and  hard-hearted  I  was  ! " 

"Good  morning,  madame,"  said  the  abbe's  gentle 
voice.  She  turned  quickly. 

"Ah,  M.  1'Abbe,  you  have  heard  what  a  terrible 
incubus  has  fallen  upon  the  chateau"  ? " 

"  The  chateau  will  shake  it  off  with  time,  madame." 

"But  meanwhile?" 


AULNAY  TOWER.  27 

"  Meanwhile  we  must  have  patience,"  he  answered 
with  great  quiet. 

"And  my  uncle  ? " 

"  It  will  of  course  be  most  painful  to  the  marquis. 
We  must  endeavor  to  reconcile  him  with  it." 

"  It  is  for  that  reason  I  sent  for  you,  M.  TAbbd. 
You  have  more  influence  with  him  than  any  one 
else.  I  hesitated  to  inform  him  of  this  last  calamity. 
You  can  prepare  him  for  it,  perhaps." 

"  He  is  already  prepared,  inadame." 

The  sudden  question  in  her  mind  she  did  not  ex 
press  in  words.  He  continued :  "  You  are  won 
dering  how  I  knew  ?  Antoine  told  me.  He  heard 
it  last  night.  The  command  was  brought  at  sun 
down  from  Vert  Galant.  You  see  it  was  no  secret. 
Moreover,  it  was  to  be  expected.  The  Germans,  of 
course,  with  every  opportunity  tighten  the  coil  round 
Paris." 

"Poor  Paris  !"  sighed  the  countess. 

"We  shall  see,"  he  returned  with  his  curiously 
quiet  manner. 

"M.  1'Abbe,  I  longed  to  go  and  take  care  of  our 
wounded  heroes;  you  and  my  uncle  persuaded  me 
to  remain  here.  You  declared  it  to  be  my  duty. 
Good.  Let  that  be  as  it  may.  I  yielded.  But  some- 


28  AULNAY  TOWER. 

times  I  ask  myself  why,  —  and  why,  indeed,  we  are 
all  here." 

"We  are  here  because  the  marquis  preferred  to 
stay,  are  we  not,  madame  ?  Because,  with  his  politi 
cal  principles  and  his  failing  health,  it  was  his  con 
viction,  whatever  should  come,  his  chances  of  comfort 
and  happiness  were  better  here,  in  his  own  home  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  believe  those  were  the  alleged  reasons  for 
our  course,"  she  remarked  slowly  and  thoughtfully, 
with  no  significant  emphasis,  but  with  evident  dis 
satisfaction. 

"But  my  dear  madame,"  he  began  with  gentle 
deprecation. 

She  looked  up  quickly,  and  smiled  for  the  first 
time,  a  faint,  doubtful  smile.  "Pardon  me,  M. 
1'AbbeY'  she  said  frankly;  "I  have  grown  to  be  a 
prober  of  motives,  a  dangerous  underminer  of  phrases. 
I  presume  it  is  because  I  am  restless,  and  because 
there  is  much  that  I  do  not  understand." 

"  You  are  extremely  young,  madaine." 

"  I  shall  never  be  young  again,"  she  replied  in  a 
matter-of-fact  tone. 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  imply  it  is  my  motive,  my 
phrases,  which  you  probe  and  undermine  ? "  asked  the 
abb6  with  mild  incredulity. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  29 

«Yes  —  sometimes — often/'  she  answered  slowly. 

"  All ! "  he  returned,  with  gentle  regret  and  some 
surprise  in  his  manner,  as  if  this  was  news  indeed,  at 
the  same  time  looking  at  her  calmly  and  making  no 
attempt  to  vindicate  himself  in  her  estimation.  It 
was  the  wisest  thing  he  could  have  done.  His  sim 
plicity  touched  her. 

"There  are  some  things  in  the  past  between  us," 
she  began  with  an  effort ;  "  it  is  possible  they  cause 
me  to  misjudge  you.  I  should  be  sorry  to  be  unjust. 
I  may  have  become  too  self-absorbed,  too  morbid, 
living  this  strangely  dreary  life  all  these  weeks.  But 
I  thought  it  would  be  loyal  to  speak  with  you  openly 
before  these  Germans  descend  upon  us." 

"  It  is  loyal,  countess.     I  thank  you." 

He  turned  away,' walked  to  the  window,  and  looked 
out.  Antoine  was  waiting  outside.  She  saw  the 
abbe*  smile  kindly  at  the  fisherman  and  make  him  a 
friendly  sign. 

"  He  is  a  good  man,"  she  thought.  "  How  careful 
he  is  of  every  one  !  It  is  I  who  am  unkind,  bad,  sus 
picious  ;  and  what  is  so  mean  as  suspicion ! "  The 
abbe  came  slowly  back  and  stood  before  her,  his  gaze 
as  clear  and  direct  as  her  own. 

"Madame,   it  would  not  be   remarkable   if  you 


30  AULNAY  TOWER. 

should  now  and  then  misinterpret  me.  It  would 
indeed  be  more  extraordinary  if  you  should  not." 
He  paused  an  instant.  "  As  to  the  past,  it  is  pos 
sible  you  may  hold  other  views  when  you  are  older. 
As  to  the  present,  you  surely  cannot  have  imagined 
I  induced  the  marquis  to  remain ! " 

"  M.  1'Abbe*,  your  frankness  shames  me.  Some 
times  I  have  been  capable  of  even  that  wild  flight 
of  fancy." 

"But  pray,  what  could  have  been  my  motive?" 
he  asked  with  a  gentle  and  perplexed  air. 

"That  is  what  I  have  continually  asked  myself," 
she  confessed  with  a  little  laugh.  "I  tell  you  I 
dream  dreams  and  see  visions;  I  have  presenti 
ments,  revelations,  second  sight,  like  an  old  witch 
of  Bondy  wood." 

"You  are  too  much  alone,"  he  suggested  sym 
pathetically. 

"  It  may  be." 

"Madame,  there  is  one  thing  which  I  trust  you 
have  never  called  in  question,  —  my  affection  for 
the  marquis." 

"  Never,"  she  returned  warmly. 

"  Good !"  A  fine  smile  lighted  his  dark,  pale  face. 
"  It  is  well  that  we  have  spoken.  Let  us  leave  old 


AULNAY  TOWER.  31 

wrongs  to  slumber.  In  these  strange  times  that  are 
coming,  pray  trust  me,  for  you  may  need  me  —  I 
may  need  you." 

"  We  do  not  always  agree,  M.  1'Abbe,  that  is  the 
truth.  But  against  the  Germans  we  are  of  one  heart 
and  soul.  Ah,  how  I  dread  this  experience  ! " 

"Think  how  others  have  suffered.  Should  we 
alone  escape  ? " 

"  Never  doubt  I  would  hesitate  at  any  act  of  sac 
rifice,  any  helpful  deed,"  she  explained  earnestly. 
"But  this  long  inaction,  this  sheltering  a  German 
garrison  under  our  very  roof,  —  that  does  not  help 
France.  That  is  an  indignity  to  France,  to  us, — 
odious,  insupportable." 

"Who  can  tell,  countess,  what  your  service  and 
mine  may  be,  and  when  France  may  require  it  of  us  ? " 

His  voice  was  so  solemn,  that  her  own  remark 
seemed  petty  and  flippant,  like  the  chatter  of 
Manette. 

"  Who,  indeed  ? "  she  repeated  thoughtfully.  "  May 
France  find  us  ready ! " 

"Amen!"  responded  the  abbe  softly,  under  his 
breath. 

She  looked  at  him,  not  without  admiration  for  his 
intellect  and  strength,  but  with  conflicting  sentiments. 


32  AULNAY  TOWER. 

She  felt  that  she  was  not  malleable  even  under  his 
deft  touch.  Her  memories,  convictions,  and  distrust 
of  him  had  grown  old  and  stern,  like  grim  warriors 
whose  serried  ranks  withstood  passing  attacks  from 
momentary  impressions.  But  he  was  true  to  the  cha 
teau,  true  to  France ;  and  there  was  wisdom  and  secu 
rity  in  this  alliance  against  the  common  enemy. 

"  Hark  !  what  is  that  ? "  exclaimed  the  abbe,  throw 
ing  open  a  window.  Faint  in  the  distance,  gradually 
louder  and  clearer,  they  heard  the  sound  of  fife  and 
drum.  Far  down  the  road,  between  the  burnt 
grain-fields,  came  the  measured  tramp  of  the  enemy, 
the  heavy  roll  and  drag  of  approaching  artillery. 

The  two  listened,  speechless,  motionless.  Suddenly 
Countess  Nathalie  started.  "Insufferable!"  she  cried. 
"  Do  you  not  hear  ?  It  is  the  Marseillaise ! " 

The  abbe's  eyes  flashed  angrily ;  his  lips  set  hard. 

"When  I  hear  that,"  said  the  countess,  draw 
ing  a  deep,  quivering  breath,  "I  would  hesitate  at 
nothing." 

The  abbe  turned  and  looked  at  her  long.  "At 
nothing  ? "  asked  his  searching  eyes. 

Nearer  and  nearer  to  Aulnay  Tower  marched  the 
German  battalion. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

"!F  I  have  one  fixed  principle,"  mused  Manette, 
preserving  method  in  the  madness  of  scarlet  bows 
with  which  she  was  adorning  herself  before  her  mis 
tress's  mirror,  and  setting  her  lips  in  as  firm  a  line  as 
was  practicable  with  a  quantity  of  pins  reposing  be 
tween  them,  —  "  it  is  never  to  have  a  mistress  whose 
style  interferes  with  my  own.  When  I  left  my  first 
lady,  Madame  de  St.  Mars,  she  thought  I  objected 
to  the  impudence  of  monsieur's  valet.  I  did  not. 
The  impudence  of  monsieur's  valet  was  all  very  well 
in  its  way.  What  I  objected  to  was  madame  her 
self.  She  was  of  excellent  family,  had  a  very  decent 
disposition,  her  clothes  fitted  me  to  a  charm,  she  was 
free  with  money,  not  energetic,  and  by  no  means  too 
clever,  —  in  short,  all  that  could  be  desired  in  a  mis 
tress.  Nevertheless,  I  left  her.  There  were  tears  in 
my  eyes,  but  I  knew  my  duty.  I  was  inflexible. 
And  why?  Because  the  conviction  was  borne  in 
upon  me  that  the  want  of  contrast  between  me  and 

3 


34  AULNAY  TOWER. 

my  mistress  would  be  fatal  to  my  career.  I  was  los 
ing  my  freshness.  I  was  drooping.  My  originality 
suffered.  I  had  no  incitement  to  new  combinations. 
What  suited  one  of  us,  suited  the  other.  I  suspected 
this  long;  I  resolved  to  put  it  to  the  proof.  One 
night  when  she  was  at  the  opera  I  dressed  my  hair 
like  hers,  slipped  into  her  freshest  ball-dress  and  a 
pair  of  her  long  gloves,  took  a  large  fan,  her  best 
point  d'aiguille  handkerchief,  and  stood  before  her 
mirror.  What  a  moment  of  anguish !  /  was  ma- 
dame.  I  do  not  say  in  every  feature.  As  to  features, 
there  might  be  a  difference  of  opinion.  But  the  type 
was  identical.  The  size,  the  color,  the  killing  flash 
of  the  eye,  the  arch  turn  of  the  head,  even  the  prac 
tised  smile  was  madame.  And  she  —  did  I  not  know 
that  my  short  skirt  and  cap  and  apron  would  look 
as  if  they  grew  on  her,  and  that  she  would  have  my 
own  peculiar  charm  ?  We  were  as  alike  as  two  peas. 
It  was  heart-rending.  I  gave  warning.  And  since 
that  time,  though  I  have  had  my  little  temptations,  — 
and  I  don't  say  as  I  have  always  resisted  all  of  them, 
— on  this  point  I  am  as  firm  as  the  rock  of  Gibraltar: 
never  will  I  go  into  service  with  a  small,  black- 
eyed,  piquant,  coquettish,  pretty  little  woman  like 
me,  for  it 's  death  to  my  best  sentiments. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  35 

"  But  Madame  de  Vallauris  sets  me  off,  and  I  set 
her  off.  It 's  ideal !  It 's  heavenly  !  She  is  fair,  but 
not  too  fair,  tall,  but  not  too  tall,  wears  the  simplest 
thing  with  an  air  of  her  own,  and  has  such  repose 
of  manner  that  my  little  flutter  makes  a  pleasing 
variety  in  contrast.  Best  of  all,  she  is  a  constant 
stimulant  to  my  fancy,  for  I  can't  look  at  her  with 
out  inventing  a  love  of  a  costume  on  the  spot.  Not 
that  her  mourning  and  the  severity  of  her  taste  do 
not  restrict  my  actual  practice.  But  wrhat  of  that, 
so  long  as  the  fantasy,  the  poesy,  the  soul  of  a  fresh 
toilet  is  always  there  ?  Madame  de  Vallauris  is 
almost  too  clever  for  a  perfectly  satisfactory  mistress. 
She  puts  two  and  two  together  and  knows  they 
make  four,  which  few  ladies  even  suspect.  If  you 
don't  happen  to  tell  the  same  story  you  told  yes 
terday,  she  trips  you  up  as  calm  as  you  please. 
And  she  never  scolds,  which  gives  her  an  unfair 
advantage. 

"  Then,  has  n't  this  chateau  been  empty  enough  to 
ache,  and  me  like  an  angel  of  patience  with  never 
a  man  about  ?  But  I  still  say,  all  that  and  worse  I  'd 
bear,  for  it's  educating  to  live  with  such  shoulders 
and  such  a  waist;  and  after  Countess  Nathalie,  no 
maid  who  respects  herself  could  stoop  to  either  the 


36  AULNAY   TOWER. 

scraggy  or  the  stout,  and  till  I  die  I'll  declare  that 
for  folds  and  colors  and  draping  she  is  a  divine  in 
spiration.  What  I  am  myself  for  aprons,  caps,  fur 
belows,  and  flyaway  ribbons,  she  is  for  cashmere, 
velvet,  crepe.  I'm  the  vivacious  and  sparkling;  she 
the  exquisitely  dignified.  We  are  distinct,  each 
unique  in  her  way.  Neither  interferes  with  the  other. 
I  shall  never  get  monotonous, —  the  worst  thing  in 
my  art,  —  and  that 's  why  I  adore  Countess  Nathalie, 
and  am  thankful  for  my  blessings.  And  yet  I  have 
my  disappointments,  my  chagrins.  Madame  is  as 
unaccountable  as  she  is  beautiful.  To-day,  for  ex 
ample,  what  a  field  for  genius  !  What  a  chance  for 
never-to-be-forgotten  impressions !  A  dozen  officers  ! 
That  means  —  oh,  joy  !  —  scores  of  under-officers  and 
hundreds  of  soldiers.  Not  a  woman  in  Aulnay  but 
madame  and  me.  O  just  Heaven,  what  possibili 
ties  !  My  rich  imagination  dressed  us  both  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye.  That  handsome  rosy  giant  of 
a  German  (something  tells  me  we  shall  meet  again !) 
had  hardly  left  the  court  before  I  saw  madame 
attired  in  subtle  appropriateness  for  the  occasion. 
Some  maids  would  have  thought  only  of  themselves ; 
but  I  am  true  as  steel  to  my  vocation,  and  to  the 
Countess  Nathalie.  Gentle  severity  was  the  key- 


AULNAY  TOWER.  37 

note  of  my  composition  :  heavy  black  silk,  of  course. 
There  it  lies.  Elegance  and  dignity  in  the  train. 
Happy  surprises  in  the  drapery.  Fascination  in  the 
sleeves.  Defiance,  pride,  and  patriotism  in  the  high 
collar,  tempered  by  regret  in  the  soft  ruche,  with  a 
careless  bunch  of  violets  at  the  throat,  —  as  emblems 
of  the  springtime  and  youth  which  belong  to  Countess 
Nathalie  if  to  any  woman  in  the  world,  —  and  a  cloud 
of  black  tulle  for  witchery.  She  would  have  been 
a  problem  and  a  poem;  while  I  in  my  cheerful 
reds,  my  dazzling  white,  my  decisive  short  skirts,  my 
piquant  shoes,  my  audacious  apron,  am  a  conundrum, 
a  pleasantry,  an  epigram ;  moreover,  slightly  mili 
tary,  which  is  delicately  flattering  to  the  invaders. 
Here  I  stand,  a  success,  perfect  of  my  kind.  And 
madame  ?  Alas  !  she  disappoints  my  hopes,  crushes 
my  enthusiasm,  —  positively  refuses  to  make  any 
change  in  her  toilet.  I  do  not  say  that  she  is  not  dis 
tinguished  and  beautiful  in  her  simple  cashmere ;  but 
only  once  in  a  lifetime  do  ten  foreign  officers  ride  up 
to  a  lonely  chateau  where  there  are  but  two  women. 
Great  is  the  moment,  and  my  design  was  vast." 

"  Manette,  Manette,  why  are  you  waiting  here  ? 
I  have  been  looking  for  you.  You  should  be  with 
me."  Countess  Nathalie  entered  the  room  rapidly. 


38  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  Ah,  I  was  hoping  madame  would  reconsider." 

"  Reconsider  what  ? "  said  Countess  Nathalie  ab 
sently. 

"  Pardon,  madame,  —  the  toilet.  It  is  here,  quite 
ready.  I  have  combined  and  adjusted.  But  five 
minutes,  and  madame  would  be  a  dream,"  pleaded 
the  girl. 

The  countess  smiled  faintly. 

"  Manette,  I  ought  to  be  thankful  that  you  can  even 
to-day  make  me  laugh.  Yet  if  I  did  not  know  what 
a  good  heart  you  have,  I  should  be  impatient  now 
and  then  with  your  nonsense." 

"  This  at  least,"  responded  Manette  desperately. 
With  one  quick  movement  she  sprang  to  the  toilet- 
table,  where  a  pale  tea-rose  stood  in  a  little  glass. 
Another  bound,  and  she  was  fastening  it  at  the  coun 
tess's  throat.  "  Madame  permits  —  " 

"  Child,  child,  does  one  adorn  one's  self  for  the 
enemies  of  one's  country  ? " 

"  But  when  the  enemies  of  one's  country  are  ten 
staff-officers  !  And,  after  all,  enemies  are  —  men  !  " 

"  I  will  wear  the  rose  if  it  makes  you  happier," 
Countess  Nathalie  said  wearily.  "At  least,  it  can 
do  no  harm.  But,  Manette,  let  me  beg  you  to  be  dis 
creet,  with  all  these  men  about.  You  cannot  be  too 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  39 

reserved  and  careful.  You  are  a  good  girl.  Let  me 
depend  upon  you.  No  chatter.  No  glances." 

"I  shall  be  discretion  itself,"  and  Manette  drew 
down  the  corners  of  her  mouth.  "  I  shall  be  as  sol 
emn  as  the  Tower.  They  shall  fear  me." 

"  If  you  will  only  be  sensible  and  helpful,  that  is 
all  that  I  require.  And,  Manette,  don't  put  on  all  that 
red  again,  please.  You  look  like  a  maid  on  the  stage, 
or  is  it  a  vivandiere  ?  Come  with  me  now.  I  shall 
wait  in  the  library.  The  marquis  is  in  despair, — 
refuses  to  leave  his  bed.  The  abbe  remains  to  con 
sole  him.  Another  man  on  horseback,  this  time  an 
officer,  a  gentleman,  just  rode  into  the  court  and  in 
quired  if  the  marquis  would  allow  the  General  von 
Aarenhorst  to  present  himself.  He  marked  names  in 
chalk  on  all  our  doors." 

"  Oh  !     Was  he  tall  ?     Had  he  blue  eyes  ?  " 

"  He  was  tall.  I  did  not  observe  whether  he  had 
eyes." 

"  The  dear  ! " 

"  Manette  ! " 

"  Madame  was  about  to  sa}7"  —  "  began  the  girl  with 
an  innocent  air. 

"  Nothing,  Manette.  There  is  nothing,  indeed,  that 
I  can  say  to  you,  since  you  will  not  understand  that 


40  AULNAY  TOWER. 

my  heart  is  heavy.  I  have  been  watching  the  Ger 
mans  enter  the  village." 

"  I  was  so  grieved  to  lose  the  fine  sight ! "  murmured 
Manette  sympathetically.  "  But,"  with  an  eloquent 
gesture  towards  the  rejected  toilet,  "madame  knows 
that  where  my  higher  "duties  are  concerned  I  am 
adamant.  Not  even  the  military  can  distract  my 
attention." 

"And  they  are  crowding  in  and  out  of  our  little 
houses,  where  the  familiar  smiling  faces  used  to  glance 
out  and  wish  me  good-morning,"  Countess  Nathalie 
went  on  thoughtfully.  "  They  are  drinking  beer  before 
old  Berthe's  door,  and  grooming  their  horses  where  the 
children  played  on  the  green,  and  cleaning  their  guns 
at  the  baker's.  They  are  not  bad-looking  —  " 

"  Ah ! "     Manette  clasped  her  hands  ecstatically. 

Countess  Nathalie's  quiet,  abstracted  voice  contin 
ued,  talking,  as  was  her  wont,  to  the  little  maid  because 
she  was  the  only  woman  near,  yet  unmindful  of  her 
light  retort,  —  "  Not  cruel,  bloodthirsty  men.  No,  I 
will  be  just.  They  have  honest,  simple,  kindly  faces, 
these  German  soldiers.  They  are  manly  and  brave, 
but  gentle.  They  are  laughing  and  making  jokes  out 
there  innocently.  They  look  as  if  they  loved  their 
wives  and  children  at  home,"  she  said  slowly. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  41 

"  Wives-  and  children !  For  pity's  sake,  madame, 
are  they  all  dull  old  family  men  ?  Are  there  no  young 
gay  ones  ? "  interpolated  Manette  with  consternation. 
"  Then  it 's  no  great  loss  if  I  did  n't  look  out  of  the 
window ! "  > 

"  And  I  will  not  blame  them  too  harshly,  for  they 
are  mere  tools,"  concluded  the  young  countess,  com 
muning  still  with  her  own  thoughts,  "  They  are  forced 
into  this  cruel  work.  They  are  to  be  pitied.  But 
their  leaders,  —  their  leaders  I  will  never  forgive ! 
They  know  what  they  do.  They  coldly  plan  this  work 
of  destruction.  It  is  a  curse.  It  is  a  sin.  I  will 
never  forgive  them  —  never  !" 

She  stood  an  instant  pale  with  excitement,  then, 
raising  her  head,  looked  out  on  the  park  where  she 
had  played  as  a  happy  child,  where  as  a  saddened 
woman  she  had  spent  long  hours  of  retrospection. 
Her  glance  fell  upon  the  little  turret-room.  It  was 
a  cool  shrine  of  childhood,  unchanged  since  she  had 
stored  her  treasures  there,  —  the  ivory  angel  on  the 
wall  hovering  over  a  bunch  of  mammoth  forget-me- 
nots  painted  by  her  own  unskilful,  zealous  hand ;  our 
Lady  in  a  bright  blue  robe ;  St.  Barbara  too  (Uncle 
Baoul  bought  that  for  her  in  Paris ;  she  begged  for  it 
on  account  of  the  Tower) ;  some  dried  grasses  from 


42  AULNAY  TOWER. 

the  meadow  brook ;  a  few  childish  books ;  a  glass  case 
of  toys  and  dolls.  When  she  had  come  home  from 
the  convent,  she  had  been  so  glad  to  find  everything 
in  its  place.  Then  she  was  seventeen,  and  her  uncle 
said  it  was  all  too  babyish  for  a  girl  about  to  be  mar 
ried,  and  she  moved  down  to  the  stately  rooms  below. 
She  had  loved  to  be  up  there,  above  the  tree-tops  and 
within  sight  of  the  church-tower;  but  she  had  had 
hardly  time  to  grieve,  those  days  had  gone  so  fast,  and 
she  felt  so  strange  and  dazed  when  she  knew  she  was 
to  be  the  Countess  de  Yallauris.  The  count  —  she 
put  her  hand  to  her  eyes,  she  gave  one  deep  sigh  for 
her  lost  illusions  :  "  Is  this  the  way  to  prepare  myself 
for  all  that  must  be  borne  ?  Ah,  how  weak  a  thing  a 
woman  is  !"  This  was  no  time  for  memories  of  child 
hood,  no  time  for  bitter  thoughts.  Voices  and  unwonted 
commotion  filled  Aulnay.  Horses'  hoofs  sounded  be 
low  in  the  court-yard.  The  hated  strangers  were  at 
the  chateau  gates.  She  looked  piteously  at  the  bright- 
faced  maid  :  "  These  are  sad  days,  Manette." 

"Very,  madame,"  returned  Manette  dutifully. 
"  But,"  she  added,  her  eyes  dancing,  "  exhilarating  !  " 

"  Come  with  me,"  said  the  countess,  turning  and 
going  down  the  narrow  stairway,  erect,  firm,  her  face 
cold  and  haughty,  to  meet  the  foe. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  43 

Manette  obeyed,  but  adroitly  seized  a  black  lace 
fichu,  and  from  her  convenient  position,  as  she  followed 
her  mistress  down  the  stairs,  flung  it  over  the  coun 
tess's  shoulders,  reasoning  :  "  In  that  straight  gown, 
and  with  her  repellent  air,  madame  is  too  unambig 
uous.  A  touch  of  mystery  is  indispensable." 

Countess  Nathalie  mechanically  pulled  the  ends  of 
the  diaphanous  "mystery"  about  her  as  she  went 
bravely  on,  her  head  high,  her  eyes  cold,  her  mouth 
determined  and  forbidding. 

"  She  could  n't  make  herself  stonier  if  she  were 
going  to  meet  ten  fiery  dragons  ! "  sighed  Manette,  re 
garding  her  mistress  critically  as  she  turned  on  the 
winding  stairs.  "  Well,  I  have  done  my  duty  by 
her !  Angels  can  do  no  more." 

Meanwhile  General  von  Aarenhorst  was  in  an  ex 
ceptionally  bad  temper.  Although  one  of  the  most 
amiable  of  men,  as  Frau  von  Aarenhorst  would  un 
hesitatingly  affirm,  this  bold  warrior  and  distin 
guished  strategist  had  been  for  days  the  victim  of 
many  annoyances,  to  which  his  inner  tranquillity 
had  finally  succumbed.  He  was  of  too  large  a 
nature,  too  successful  a  soldier,  too  much  trusted 
by  his  sovereign  and  loved  by  the  army,  —  in  short, 
too  marked  a  man,  to  escape  the  fate  of  every 


44  AULNAY  TOWER. 

mortal  visible  enough  against  the  great  background 
of  mediocrity  to  serve  as  target.  Jealousy,  back 
biting,  and  malicious  misinterpretation,  not  being  ex 
clusive  vices  of  women  and  coffee-parties,  but  also 
common  to  the  grander  sex  and  their  grand  situations, 
had  made  themselves  manifest  in  Aarenhorst's  imme 
diate  circle,  and  ruffled  his  equanimity  in  no  light 
degree.  He  felt  aggrieved  and  sore  from  a  slight  mis 
understanding  on  the  part  of  his  prince.  He  had 
quarrelled  with  a  friend,  which  he  deeply  regretted, 
and  failed  to  quarrel  with  a  rival,  which  galled  him 
still  more.  Altogether  it  was  in  no  enviable  mood 
that  the  good  general  rode  into  Aulnay ;  and  he  looked 
like  a  very  grim  warrior  indeed,  —  capable,  poor  Jean 
thought,  as  he  tremblingly  held  open  the  great  gate 
and  Aarenhorst  glared  at  him  from  under  shaggy 
eyebrows,  of  drinking  blood  from  the  skulls  of  his 
victims. 

The  general  and  his  suite  dismounted  in  the 
court-yard.  That  quiet  place  became  suddenly  in 
stinct  with  life  and  movement,  —  on  the  moss-grown 
pavement  the  firm  tread  of  booted  and  spurred 
feet,  the  irregular  beat  of  horse-hoofs,  men's  deep 
voices  in  brief  command,  soldiers  hurrying  to  and 
fro,  sabres  clanking  lightly,  jests  in  a  foreign  tongue, 


AULNAY   TOWER.  45 

and  the  laughter  of  gallant  youth  ready  for  any 
fate. 

General  von  Aarenhorst,  stern  and  warlike  as  an 
ancient  Gaul,  strode  gloomily  toward  the  door  of  the 
chateau.  His  commanding  presence  towered  above 
the  finely  built  men  accompanying  him.  His  strong 
and  handsome  features,  though  ragged  and  weather- 
beaten,  scarcely  betrayed  his  fifty  years.  The  square 
chin  looked  resolute  as  fate,  the  mouth  indomitable* 
and  the  usual  twinkle  in  his  deep-set  keen  gray 
eyes,  which  made  his  masterful  face  kindly,  humor 
ous,  and  lovable,  was  to-day  as  invisible  as  the  even 
ing  star  on  a  cloudy  night. 

"  Why  is  no  one  here  to  receive  me  ? "  he  de 
manded  gruffly,  stopping  short  before  the  threshold 
of  the  chateau. 

Jean  quaked  mightily,  but  forced  himself  to  totter 
up  the  stone  steps  and  fling  open  the  large  house 
door. 

«  Why  is  no  one  here  to  receive  me  ? "  thundered  the 
general.  "  Where  is  the  Marquis  de  Montauban  ? " 

"  JSTot  at  home,"  stammered  old  Jean. 

"  Not  at  home  ? "  repeated  the  ancient  Gaul,  glaring 
fiercely  at  the  unfortunate  servant. 

"Not  at   home   to   strangers,"  Jean  gasped   des- 


46  AULNAY  TO  WEE. 

perately,  believing  that  his  hour  was  come,  hut 
heroic  in  his  cowardice,  resolving  to  make  the  Ger 
mans  unwelcome  to  the  last. 

Von  Aarenhorst  turned  impatiently  away.  "  This 
poor  man  is  an  imbecile/'  he  said.  "  There  can  have 
been  no  irregularity  in  the  announcement  ? " 

"None  whatever,  Excellenz,"  replied  an  adjutant, 
stepping  forward.  "  Orderly  Wackermann  announced 
the  coming  of  the  staff  and  of  the  battalion.  I 
myself  announced  your  personal  visit  to  the  Marquis 
de  Montauban." 

"I've  had  enough  of  this  insolence,"  began  the 
general.  "  I  refuse  to  enter  a  gentleman's  house  like 
a  thief  in  the  night.  I  insist  upon  seeing  the  master 
of  this  chateau." 

At  this  moment  a  door  opposite  the  vestibule 
opened,  and  the  irate  general  saw  a  beautiful  woman, 
young,  pale,  fair-haired,  stately,  and  forbidding.  In 
fact,  her  expression  as  she  came  forward  was  indica 
tive  of  a  high  and  courageous  spirit  prepared  for  the 
worst  extremity  of  fate. 

The  general  saluted  like  the  elegant  cavalier  that 
he  was.  The  pale  lady  in  her  black  dress,  with  a 
fresh  Sofrano  rose  at  her  throat,  drew  some  lace  she 
wore  closer  about  her,  and  returned  his  greeting 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  47 

haughtily.  All  the  lieutenants  in  the  court-yard  who 
had  been  giving  orders  about  their  horses  and  the 
stables  suddenly  drifted  towards  the  door,  moved 
by  the  occult  magnetism  of  a  fair  woman's  presence. 
Spurred  heels  went  together  with  an  automatic 
click,  hands  flew  up  in  courteous  if  spasmodic  salute. 
The  flower  of  the  German  army  laid  its  homage  at 
the  feet  of  the  pale  lady,  who  once  more  returned 
her  half-perceptible,  icy  salutation.  Behind  her  a 
bright  little  butterfly  of  a  woman  peeped  out  and 
made  laughing  eyes  assiduously,  as  if  to  atone  for 
the  indifference  of  her  mistress. 

"  Jean,  show  these  gentlemen  to  their  rooms,"  said 
Countess  Nathalie,  turning  to  go,  with  a  slight  gesture, 
as  if  she  were  a  crowned  head  concluding  an  audience. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  began  the  general. 

"I  am  Madame  de  Vallauris,"  was  the  frigid 
correction. 

"  You  may  be  Madame  what  you  please,  you 
pretty  creature,"  thought  the  general,  "  but  you  are 
not  a  day  older  than  my  Gertrud;  and  how  would 
she  feel,  the  dear  girl,  if  a  dozen  Frenchmen  should 
march  in  and  take  possession  of  our  house  at  home  ? " 

"  Most  happy/'  he  returned,  with  his  firm  salute, 
and  the  humorous  twinkle  reappearing  in  his  shrewd 


48  AULNAY  TOWER. 

eyes  like  the  evening  star  after  passing  clouds.  "  I 
have  the  honor  to  present  myself,  von  Aarenhorst, 

General  of  the Division.  I  beg  to  be  allowed  to 

pay  my  respects  to  the  Marquis  de  Montauban." 

"  My  uncle  for  the  present  must  deprive  himself 
of  the  pleasure  of  making  your  acquaintance,"  re 
sponded  Madame  de  Vallauris  coolly. 

The  pleasant  twinkle  in  the  general's  eye  expanded 
perceptibly.  This  proud  young  foe  amused  him,  and 
he  admired  her  spirit. 

"  Madame,  when  I  enter  a  gentleman's  house  as 
a  guest  —  " 

Countess  Nathalie's  eyebrows  questioned  his  choice 
of  words.  He  understood  her  protest,  but  continued 
blandly,  "  I  am  in  the  habit  of  being  received  by  my 
host." 

"  My  uncle  can  see  no  one.  He  has  not  left  his 
bed  for  some  hours." 

"Is  the  Marquis  de  Montauban  seriously  ill?" 
asked  the  general,  watching  his  fair  adversary,  with 
polite  scrutiny. 

"No,"  she  answered,  raising  her  honest  eyes  to 
his,  —  "  no,  he  is  not  ill.  That  is,  he  is  never  strong 
now,  but  he  is  perhaps  not  much  more  indisposed 
than  usual.  He  is  disgusted,  outraged,  unreconciled, 


AULNAY   TOWER.  49 

that  is  all.  In  his  state  of  health  he  finds  the  situa 
tion  insupportable." 

"  Now  I  wonder  if  my  Gertrud  under  similar  cir 
cumstances  would  declare  war  in  as  straightforward 
a  fashion  as  that,"  reflected  the  general,  studying 
Countess  Nathalie  with  kindliest  interest. 

"  Madame,"  he  answered,  "  no  one  can  regret  more 
deeply  than  I  that  the  exigencies  of  war  compel  us 
to  seek  the  hospitality  of  the  Marquis  de  Montauban. 
The  facts  being  what  they  are,  we  shall  endeavor 
to  make  our  stay  as  little  repugnant  to  him  as  possi 
ble.  Believe  me,  in  spite  of  circumstances,  madame, 
we  shall  even  hope  to  win  the  esteem,  under  this  roof, 
which  one  may  well  accord  an  honorable  enemy." 

"  The  chateau  is  obviously  at  your  disposal,"  she 
said  coldly. 

"  Which  is  the  same  as  saying, '  My  thoughts  are  my 
own,  though  the  skies  fall ! '  "  groaned  Manette.  "  Oh 
if  it  were  not  inappropriate  from  me  to  her,  how  I 
should  like  to  shake  her  well  for  being  so  freezing  to 

o  o 

that  beautiful  dear,  and  all  those  beautiful  dears  be 
hind,  like  cherubim  and  seraphim,  pulling  their  mus 
taches  and  stretching  their  handsome  high  boots  and 
staring  with  all  their  eyes  ! " 

"  You  will  permit  me  to  inquire,  madame,"  said  the 
4 


50  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

general  kindly,  but  still  intent  upon  being  received 
according  to  his  rank  and  dignity  and  the  etiquette 
which  he  himself  deemed  fitting, "  is  there  no  one  else 
in  this  chateau  ?  No  gentleman  who  can  represent 
the  marquis  ? " 

"  Besides  my  uncle,  myself,  and  the  servants,  there 
is  no  one  in  the  house  but  the  Abbe*  de  Navailles,  the 
marquis's  spiritual  adviser  and  friend.  Under  these 
circumstances,  I  fear  you  will  be  obliged  to  content 
yourself  with  me,"  she  added  dryly. 

"Now  my  Gertrud  would  never  have  thought  of 
saying  that ! "  decided  the  general,  his  eyes  twink 
ling  merrily  as  he  surveyed  his  fair  adversary  and 
exchanged  an  appreciative  look  with  Colonel  von 
Linden. 

"Madame,"  he  returned  gallantly,  "to  you  we 
surrender  at  discretion.  We  beg  for  mercy,  not 
justice." 

"  Jean,  show  these  gentlemen  to  their  rooms,"  was 
Countess  Nathalie's  reply.  "  We  keep  but  four  for 
ourselves,"  she  added  in  a  business-like  tone.  "  All 
the  rest  is  reserved  for  you,  with  the  gardener's  house 
and  the  porter's  lodge." 

"  Thanks,  madame.  I  regret  to  have  disturbed  you 
so  long," 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  51 

"  Pray  do  not  mention  it." 

With  a  straight  look  at  the  general  and  a  grave 
inclination  towards  him,  and  another  still  slighter, 
which  seemed  in  a  vague  way  to  embrace  the 
walking-sticks  and  umbrellas  in  the  vestibule,  to 
gether  with  the  equally  insignificant  staff-officers 
and  the  September  sunshine  on  the  old  wall  with 
out,  Countess  Nathalie  was  gone,  Manette  doing  as 
much  execution  as  ever  a  single  pair  of  black  eyes 
accomplished  during  the  brief  act  of  closing  a 
door. 

The  ten  officers,  a  stately  body  of  men  with  uni 
forms  no  longer  in  parade  condition  and  faces  which 
showed  deep  lines  of  fatigue  and  exertion,  followed 
Jean  up  the  broad  front  stairway  to  a  series  of  spacious 
rooms  overlooking  the  park.  Several  of  the  younger 
men  arranged  to  occupy  one  room,  and  began  at  once 
to  make  themselves  comfortable.  There  was  a  pulling 
about  of  beds  and.  other  furniture,  and  a  tramping  to 
and  fro  of  attentive  Bursche,  and  a  severe  inspection 
of  defective  uniforms. 

Colonel  von  Linden  smiled.  "  I  have  observed 
no  such  aspirations  towards  respectability  among  us 
for  some  weeks.  Even  the  doctor  is  looking  askance 
at  his  sleeves,  and  a  panic  of  mending  and  brushing 


52  AULNAY  TO  WEE. 

seems  to  have  broken  out  among  the  lieutenants. 
H'm !  and  this  is  but  the  beginning." 

Von  Linden  was  a  man  of  middle  height  and 
unusual  physical  strength,  with  iron-gray  hair  clus 
tering  thickly  round  an  animated  face.  He  was  ex 
tremely  well  informed,  and  a  great  but  good  talker. 

"  One  woman,"  he  continued, — "but  what  a  woman ! 
Eh,  Nbrdenfels  ? " 

His  adjutant  turned  from  the  window  where  he 
stood  looking  out  on  the  park,  —  a  tall,  slender,  blond 
Gardereiter,  elegant  on  foot  as  in  the  saddle,  an 
earnest  and  rather  silent  man.  "I  beg  your  pardon, 
colonel?" 

"  I  was  merely  saying  our  chatelaine  is  a  beautiful 
woman." 

"  Yes,"  replied  von  Nordenfels  gravely. 

"  And  a  dangerous  woman.  That  kind  of  a  woman 
is  always  dangerous.  Still  and  cold  ?  Don't  you  be 
lieve  it.  The  little  flirtatious  maid  there,  with  the 
bright  eyes  and  the  warm,  dark  skin,  —  that 's  a  cold 
woman.  She  'd  estimate  the  price  of  a  man's  sleeve- 
buttons  while  he  was  kneeling  before  her  extending 
imploring  hands,  and  she  'd  mentally  invest  her 
savings  on  her  way  to  the  altar.  But  the  mistress, 
there,  with  her  clear  eyes  and  proud  air,  and  her 


AULNAY  TOWER.  53 

mouth  set  as  if  she  would  n't  flinch  before  a  volley 
of  grape, — that's  a  warm-hearted  woman,  or  I'm 
no  judge.  She 's  a  Hecla.  There 's  fire  beneath 
that  snow,  mark  my  words,  JSTordenfels." 

"  I  mark  them,  colonel,"  returned  the  young  man 
with  a  slight  smile. 

"I  tell  you  if  I  were  a  young  man,  an  unmarried 
man,  I  'd  fall  in  love  with  that  woman  on  the  spot," 
said  the  enthusiastic  colonel,  waxing  more  and  more 
impassioned.  "  I  don't  see  what  you  young  fellows 
are  made  of.  At  your  age,  Nordenfels,  I  couldn't 
have  stood  there  and  stared  at  trees.  I  should  have 
prepared  to  storm  the  citadel.  I  should  have  said 
to  myself,  'In  this  enchanted  castle  is  a  sleeping 
beauty;  none  but  the  brave  deserve  the  fair.  Ad 
vance  through  thorns  and  difficulties,  wake  her  arid 
win  her.'  Thorns  ?  Yes,  there  would  be  thorns 
enough  on  that  path,"  he  said  laughing.  "She's 
the  veriest  '  Dornrb'sschen,'  and  in  no  end  of  an 
international  labyrinth." 

"  If  I  understand  you  correctly,  colonel,"  von  Nor 
denfels  began  with  the  utmost  gravity,  "  you  are  ad 
vising  me  to  entertain  matrimonial  designs  in  regard 
to  a  French  lady  to  whom  I  have  never  had  the  honor 
of  speaking.  In  such  a  trivial  matter  I  am  as  wax 


54  AULNAY  TOWER. 

in  the  hands  of  a  friend.  Pray  write  to  my  father 
and  dispose  of  me." 

Von  Linden  looked  at  him  quizzically.  "  You  can 
be  as  satirical  as  you  like;  but  I  might  do  worse  for 
you,  after  all." 

"  Undoubtedly." 

"  Let  me  tell  you,  a  little  rashness  never  harms  a 
man  like  you, — a  high-ideal  coxcomb,  always  seeking 
and  dreaming  and  never  finding." 

Von  Nordenfels  smiled. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mean  you  're  to  fall  on  your  knees 
to-night  before  the  stately  little  lady,  or  send  Wack- 
ermann  round  with  a  billet-doux  ;  but  it 's  your  want 
of  enthusiasm  that  I  condemn." 

"  Pardon  me,  but  I  don't  think  Madame  de  Vallauris 
would  be  particularly  edified  by  our  conversation," 
von  Nordenfels  ventured  to  say. 

"  H'm  !  I  don't  believe  she  'd  object  very  seriously," 
returned  the  colonel  good-humoredly,  seating  himself 
and  opening  a  portfolio,  and  taking  out  some  papers. 
"At  all  events,  I  'm  old  enough  to  be  her  father.  She 
would  forgive  me.  And  while  a  woman  may  resent 
too  much  admiration,  she  never  forgives  too  little." 

"  Madame  de  Vallauris  is  not  that  kind  of  a 
woman,"  von  Nordenfels  returned  abruptly. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  55 

"  Ah,  then  you  did  happen  to  remark  what  kind  of 
a  woman  she  is !  Well,  I'm  glad  of  that,"  said  the 
colonel  dryly.  "  There  's  some  hope  for  you  still," 
busying  himself  with  his  papers. 

Von  Nordenfels  rejoined  the  lieutenants. 

"You're  just  in  time,  Nordenfels ;  Forstenau  is 
about  to  tell  a  story,"  drawled  a  dandy  lieutenant 
familiarly  known  as  Lily,  who  had  parted  his  hair 
painfully  in  the  middle,  and  was  now  brandishing 
two  brushes  and  laughing  hilariously. 

"  No,  not  a  story,"  protested  von  Forstenau. 

"He  once  knew  a  painter,"  explained  von  Ger- 
hardt.  "  You  think  you  grasp  the  situation,  do  you, 
Nordenfels  ?  Forstenau  says  he  once  knew  a  painter. 
It 's  incredible,  you  know  !  Colossal ! " 

"  What  about  your  painter,  Hubert  ? "  demanded 
Nordenfels  curtly,  but  with  a  friendly  look  at  the 
youngest  scion  of  the  noble  house  of  Forstenau, — 
a  lank,  sandy  youth,  whose  conversation  was  rarely 
known  to  stray  from  equine  subjects,  and  who  now 
sat  struggling  with  a  treacherous  memory. 

"  I  say  I  once  knew  a  painter  —  " 

"  Fabulous  ! "  muttered  the  Lily. 

"  Let  him  alone.  Let  him  tell  his  story,"  insisted 
Nordenfels. 


56  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  A  painter  who  said  —  " 

"  Well,  out  with  it,"  Nordenfels  said  encouragingly. 
"  Who  said  that  there  are  but  four  types  —  " 
"  Of  what  ?   Eacers  ? "  demanded  the  Lily. 
"  No  —  women." 

"Women!"  repeated  the  young  man,  laughing. 
"Forstenau's  actually  holding  forth  about  women. 

0  Forstenau,   Forstenau!    that   it    should   come   to 
this!" 

"  Four  types,"  persisted  the  wretched  young  man, 
wishing  that  he  had  remained  firmly  seated  upon  his 
horse  and  never  attempted  to  mount  anybody  else's 
hobby.  "The  Marie  Antoinette  type  —  the  Marie 
Antoinette  type,"  he  went  on,  feeling  most  miserable. 
"  The  Marie  Antoinette  type  —  " 

They  stared  at  him,  smiling,  expectant.  The  Lily 
turned  towards  him,  holding  his  brushes  motionless. 

"I've  forgotten  the  other  three,"  stammered  von 
Forstenau,  overcome  with  embarrassment  and  hanging 
his  head  dejectedly. 

A  great  shout  followed. 

"Don't  do  that  again,  Forstenau,"  the  Lily  said 
reprovingly.  "  Don't  excite  us  in  this  way  for  nothing. 

1  shall  be  cudgelling  my  brains  unmercifully  now  to 
find  those  three  missing  types.     Every  time  I  see  a 


AULNAY  TOWER.  57 

woman  I  shall  say,  c  0  woman,  are  you  a  type  ?  Are 
you  one  of  Forstenau's  lost  types  ? ' >; 

"  It  was  your  fault,"  retorted  Forstenau,  rallying. 
"  Madame  de  Vallauris  put  it  in  my  mind.  I  knew 
the  whole  thing  perfectly  when  I  looked  at  her.  If 
you  hadn't  interrupted  and  chaffed,  I  shouldn't 
have  forgotten.  It  was  a  very  good  story."  He 
looked  sullenly  at  his  comrades  and  relapsed  into 
a  long  silence,  neither  knowing  nor  caring  why  they 
laughed. 

Yon  Nbrdenfels  was  examining  the  room  atten 
tively.  It  was  delicately  appointed,  evidently  a 
woman's  room.  Eising,  he  deliberately  collected  the 
vases,  books,  and  ornaments,  and  put  them  in  a  chest 
of  drawers  in  the  corner,  locking  it  and  removing 
the  key.  Everything  fragile  he  deposited  in  that 
safe  receptacle.  A  smaller  room  he  treated  with  the 
same  consideration ;  but  being  screened  from  his 
companions'  sight,  he  studied  the  few  books  he  found, 
and  the  pictures,  long  and  earnestly,  as  if  he  would 
fain  penetrate  into  the  nature  of  the  owner.  Some 
tea-roses  stood  on  a  little  table.  The  vase  was 
simple,  and  he  let  it  stay.  There  was  a  low  chair 
by  the  window  towards  the  park,  and,  overlooked 
in  the  rapid  preparations  for  the  strangers,  a  small 


58  AULNAY   TOWER. 

black  glove  near  it.  He  secured  it  hastily,  hesitated 
a  moment,  then  gravely  laid  it  with  the  other  objects 
he  had  collected.  Some  subtle  association  lingered 
with  a  faint  fragrance  in  the  little  room,  or  his 
warm  fancy  invested  it  with  a  nameless  charm. 

"  Does  any  one  want  this  place  ? "  he  inquired 
indifferently,  reappearing  among  his  friends.  "  No  ? 
Then  I  '11  move  in." 

"  Are  n't  you  giving  yourself  a  great  deal  of  trou 
ble  ? "  drawled  the  Lily.  "  One  of  the  men  could  do 
that  just  as  well." 

"  I  don't  seem  to  be  working  so  hard  as  you  are 
with  your  hair,"  returned  von  Nordenfels,  smiling. 
"  It  seems  only  decent  to  get  such  things  out  of  the 
way  as  soon  as  possible.  Moreover,  we  don't  know 
who  or  what  will  follow  us." 

"Gerhardt,  you  needn't  make  yourself  irresisti 
ble.  It's  no  use.  I've  got  ahead  of  you.  I've 
enlisted  the  maid  on  my  side,"  said  a  handsome, 
dark  man,  entering  with  a  long,  swinging  stride. 

"  If  you  think  that  sort  of  thing  is  fair  among 
comrades,"  began  the  Lily.  "But  what  have  you 
been  doing  ? " 

"  Why  I  ran  down  to  look  after  Claudia.  She  went 
lame." 


AULNAY  TOWER.  59 

"  Strategy,  to  begin  with.  Claudia 's  no  lamer  than 
you  are  I " 

"Well,  I  remembered  she  was  lame  once,"  con 
tinued  von  Wedell,  lighting  a  cigarette,  "  or  I  feared 
she  might  be  lame  sometime.  At  all  events,  I  had 
to  go  to  the  stables  to  look  after  her.  The  rea 
son  I  had  to  go  so  suddenly  was  because  I  saw  a 
young  person  in  red  and  white  flitting  about  the 
court-yard  conveniently  for  my  purposes.  She's  a 
nice  little  thing.  Her  name  is  Manette."  He 
whiffed,  and  smiled  provokingly. 

"  I  don't  care  about  her !  What  did  you  wheedle 
out  of  her  about  her  mistress  ?  Tell  us  all  you 
know.  That 's  the  least  you  can  do." 

"  Manette  is  very  discreet.  She  told  me  so  herself," 
said  von  Wedell  soberly.  "  She  was  discreetly  mak 
ing  eyes  at  that  huge  Wackermann  when  I  found 
her,  and  then  she  discreetly  made  eyes  at  me.  She 
sighed,  and  said  these  were  sad  times,  with  the  cha 
teau  full  of  handsome  young  officers  like  me  and  my 
friends,  and  she  and  the  Countess  Nathalie  could  n't 
be  too  reserved  and  careful." 

"  Countess  Nathalie  !     Aha  !  that 's  her  name  ? " 

"  Countess  Nathalie  de  Vallauris,  a  widow  twenty- 
three  years  old.  Count  de  Vallauris  died  a  year 


GO  A  ULNA  Y   TOWER. 

ago.  Apparently  the  discreet  Manette  could  tell  me 
something  highly  seasoned  about  him,  only  she  passed 
on  to  more  vital  subjects.  He  was  an  old  fellow,  so 
much  I  know.  Since  his  death  Madame  de  Vallauris 
has  lived  with  her  uncle  the  marquis.  There  was 
an  aunt,  or  companion,  or  something,  who  fled  to 
Paris  at  the  first  warning.  Countess  Nathalie  is  very 
kind,  and  very  peculiar.  '  Her  hair  is  all  her  own.' " 

"  Wedell,  don't  you  think  we  could  choose  a 
more  interesting  subject  for  general  conversation  ? " 
interrupted  von  Nordenfels  with  a  frown. 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  replied  Wedell,  staring 
superciliously  ;  "  it 's  interesting  to  me." 

"  Don't  be  a  dog  in  the  manger,  Nordenfels.  If 
you  don't  happen  to  be  capable  of  falling  in  love 
yourself,  you  needn't  try  to  deprive  other  men  of 
that  bliss.  I  'm  gone,  done  for,  extinguished,  I  tell 
you  ! "  drawled  the  Lily. 

"  One  might  think  I  had  permitted  myself  un 
suitable  language,"  remarked  von  Wedell  coldly. 

"  It 's  a  mere  matter  of  taste,  perhaps,"  von  Nor- 
denfels  replied.  "  My  views  of  life  I  prefer  to  form 
with  no  aid  from  below-stairs." 

"  Go  on,  go  on,  Wedell ! "  cried  the  others  im 
patiently. 


AULNAY   TOWER.  61 

Von  Nordenfels  frowned,  but  listened. 

"  Manette,  that  pearl  of  discretion,  fears  that  none 
of  us,  in  spite  of  our  superhuman  fascinations,  which 
she  gave  me  to  understand  she  fully  appreciated,  can 
make  the  slightest  impression  upon  the  countess. 
Manette  pronounces  it  a  romantic  situation,  a  thrill 
ing  opportunity.  But  alas !  she  says,  what  can  one 
expect  when  madame  remains  insensible  to  the  in 
fluence  of  her  most  devoted  maid  ?  She  will  do  what 
she  can  to  soften  the  sentiments  of  madame,  but 
madame  has  the  deplorable  habit  of  thinking  for  her 
self  ;  and,  beautiful  as  she  is,  would  be  more  seduc 
tive  if—" 

"  Did  she  say  nothing  whatever  about  the  Marquis 
de  Montauban  ? "  interrupted  Nordenfels. 

"  Oh,  you  're  deigning  to  listen,  after  all,  are  you  ? 
She  said  the  marquis  is  a  Legitimist  and  a  very  grand 
gentleman,  and  she,  Manette,  is  a  Legitimist  too,  and 
M.  1'Abbe  is  a  holy  man  who  doesn't  care  about 
parties  or  wars;  but  madame  has  invincible  preju 
dices  against  us  Germans." 

"  She 's  a  handsome  woman  enough,"  said  von 
Bergen,  "  but  she  leaves  a  man  cold  —  cold,  you 
know.  There  is  nothing  appealing  about  her,  nothing 
sympathetic  and  winning,  nothing  piquante." 


62  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  What  would  you  have  ? "  began  the  Lily  with 
praiseworthy  energy.  "  Should  she  smirk  and  smile 
on  us,  and  say  how  glad  she  was  to  make  our  ac 
quaintance  ?  No,  she  was  quite  right  under  the  cir 
cumstances —  quite  !  She  could  n't  have  done  it  bet 
ter,  could  she  now,  Nordenfels  ? "  appealingly  to  the 
older  lieutenant,  whom  he  admired  vastly  for  an  easy 
way  of  doing  difficult  things,  and  upon  whose  face  he 
now  perceived  a  shade  of  attention,  if  not  of  approval. 

"  No,"  muttered  von  Nordeufels. 

"  The  question  is  now,  To  whom  is  she  going  to 
soften  ?  It 's  a  matter  of  course  that  we  all  fall  in 
love  with  her  —  Nordenfels  always  excepted.  All  I 
say  is,  fair  play  among  comrades.  You,  Wedell,  — 
you  got  the  start  with  Manette.  You  've  got  to  pay 
for  that/' 

"  Upon  my  honor,  I  have  told  everything  the  girl 
said.  I  've  shared  joy  and  sorrow  with  you." 

"  Then  I  'm  obliged  to  you.  It 's  always  important 
at  the  start  to  know  if  a  woman  is  maid,  wife,  or 
widow.  You  have  to  make  a  different  line  of  march, 
you  know." 

"  The  idea  of  that  beautiful  woman  being  a  widow 
is  preposterous.  Deuced  bad  taste  of  old  Vallauris. 
Go  on,  Kurt.  Confide  your  strategy  to  us." 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  63 

"Not  a  word  more,"  returned  von  Gerhardt. 
"Mind  you  all  start  fair.  That's  all  I  have  to 
say.  For  my  part,  I  never  was  so  hard  hit.  The 
impression  was  powerful  and  immediate/'  he  went 
on  calmly,  unmoved  by  the  jeers  of  his  com 
rades.  "I  love  for  the  first  time  with  a  reckless 
ardor." 

"  How  about  Countess  Sophie  ? " 

"  She  ?  Her  cheeks  are  too  round  and  red,"  he 
said  with  conviction. 

"  And  the  bright  Stella  ? " 

"  Well,  I  was  in  pretty  seriously  in  that  direction 
for  a  time,"  laughed  the  boy ;  "  but  she  's  not  to  be 
mentioned  in  the  same  breath  with  Madame  de  Val- 
lauris.  That  reminds  me.  Did  I  ever  tell  you  of  the 
joke  about  the  last  laurel-wreath  I  sent  Stella  ?  It 
was  a  crusher,  with  a  rose-colored  bow  on  it  as  big  as 
a  girl's  sash  at  her  first  ball.  She  sang  divinely,  and 
looked  mighty  handsome  too,  but  is  no  more  fit  than 
Marietta  to  be  compared  to  Madame  de  Vallauris, 
and—" 

At  this  moment  Max  von  Nordenfels  stalked  ab 
ruptly  out  of  the  room. 

"  What  in  the  deuce  is  the  matter  with  ISTordenfels 
to-day  ? "  inquired  von  Wedell.  "  The  noble  knight  is 


64  AULNAY  TOWER. 

often  taciturn,  but  seldom  so  uncommonly  disagree 
able." 

"Beason  enough.  He  doesn't  like  to  hear  Kurt 
Gerhardt  try  to  tell  a  story,"  growled  von  Forstenau. 

"  Bravo,  Hubertchen  1 "  returned  von  Gerhardt  with 
patronizing  good-humor. 


CHAPTEK  III. 

"AND,  my  dear  Nathalie/'  added  the  Marquis  de 
Montauban,  very  elegant  in  dinner  dress,  "  it  is  ohvi- 
ously  our  duty  to  master  these  circumstances,  —  not 
to  permit  these  circumstances  to  master  us." 

Nathalie  regarded  him  with  a  surprised  air.  She 
had  expected  anything  but  this  tone ;  and  for  a  man 
whom  circumstances  had  laid  flat  some  hours  pre 
vious,  he  certainly  displayed  wonderful  recuperative 
power.  Loftiness  reigned  on  his  brow,  elasticity  in 
his  gait,  and  in  his  manner  pleasurable  anticipation. 

Instinctively  she  glanced  at  the  abbe.  When  any 
thing  inexplicable  occurred  at  the  chateau,  she  always 
asked  herself,  "  What  does  the  abbe  mean  by  it  ? " 
The  covert  attack  of  her  inquiry  fell  back  as  usual 
upon  itself.  His  fine  face  was  turned  respectfully, 
affectionately,  towards  the  marquis,  and  he  listened 
as  one  whose  quiet  sympathy  compensates  for  lack 
of  active  participation. 

6 


66  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  Abb£  de  Navailles  entertained  the  conviction 
that  most  people  explain  too  much.  He  believed  that 
a  wise  man  never  explains  his  own  conduct.  One's 
conduct  is  either  understood,  not  understood,  half 
understood,  or  misunderstood.  If  understood,  an  ex 
planation  is  evidently  superfluous.  In  each  of  the 
three  other  cases,  by  means  of  an  explanation  one 
may  gain  something,  but  is  sure  to  lose  more. 

"  There  is  no  situation,"  resumed  the  marquis,  "  in 
which  true  dignity  cannot  prevail/'  Tall,  slight, 
extremely  frail,  with  withered  hands,  a  striking  old 
man  with  his  thin  aquiline  features  and  gray  hair,  he 
walked  elegantly  up  and  down  the  charming  room. 
Nathalie  was  weary,  sad,  and  rebellious ;  but  the  per 
versity  of  memory  is  no  respecter  of  moods,  and  in 
contrast  to  the  repose  of  his  sentiments  and  his  true 
dignity  at  this  moment,  a  vivid  picture  of  bygone 
years  revisited  her  memory,  —  the  slight  form  of  her 
uncle  fleeing  madly  before  a  bull  on  Grosley  Farm. 
A  fresh  smile  softened  her  face. 

"You  smile,  Nathalie.  You  approve.  That  is 
well.  And  I  approve  of  you,  my  dear,"  he  said 
gallantly.  "Your  rose,  your  bit  of  lace,  show 
that  you  are  undismayed.  They  will  not  fail  to 
observe  it." 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  67 

"  My  bit  of  lace,  my  rose,  are  vagaries  of  Manette, 
and  no  one  will  have  any  chance  to  study  their  deep 
significance,  as  I  shall  not  appear." 

"  Bless  my  soul,  Nathalie  ! "  he  exclaimed.  Then, 
sententiously :  "  A  mistake,  my  child  —  a  false  move. 
Permit  me  to  convince  you.  It  should  be  a  matter  of 
pride  with  you  not  to  let  them  flatter  themselves  so 
far  as  to  imagine  that  their  presence  disturbs  you." 

"What  they  think  or  do  not  think,  or  whether 
they  think  at  all,  is  the  one  supremely  indifferent 
thing  to  me  at  this  juncture,"  she  returned  coldly. 
"  But  I  can't  climb  to  your  heights  of  philosophy, 
dear  uncle,  and,  as  a  woman,  their  presence  is  inex 
pressibly  repugnant  to  me.  Allow  me,  then,  to  avoid 
them.  Manette  can  easily  bring  me  something." 

"Marcus   Aurelius/'   be^an   the   marquis   impres 
sively,  "once  expressed  himself  as  follows:  — 
—  "  Ah,  it 's  Marcus  Aurelius  then,"  thought  Nathalie, 
with  another  quick  glance  at  the  abbe  and  a  satirical 
curl  of  the  corners  of  her  mouth.  — 

'"  Suppose  that  men  kill  thee,  cut  thee  in  pieces, 
curse  thee,  what  then  can  these  things  do  to  prevent 
thy  mind  from  remaining  pure'"  —  he  hesitated  — 
the  abbe  gently  prompted  :  "  wise  "  —  " '  wise/  "  re 
sumed  the  marquis,  " '  sober,  just  ? '  "  — 


68  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  Marcus  Aurelius  was  a  pagan,"  warned  Nathalie 
dryly. 

"True,  but  a  man  of  faultless  breeding, —  a  man 
d'&ite"  replied  the  marquis  with  a  conscious  air,  as 
if  whoever  attacked  Marcus  Aurelius  might  unwit 
tingly  kill  two  birds  with  one  stone. 

Nathalie's  intense  gaze  followed  him  as  he  walked 
with  grandeur  from  door  to  door.  He  was  laughable, 
yes,  but  infinitely  pathetic ;  a  most  lonely  figure  in 
the  universal  ruin,  —  his  happy  village  deserted,  his 
beloved  country  in  danger  from  foes  within  and  with 
out,  his  party  overthrown  and  suffering  in  silence, 
so  that  had  his  emaciated  hand  the  force  to  draw 
his  sword,  he,  a  gentleman,  and  the  child  of  a  heroic 
race,  would  scarce  have  known  in  what  direction  to 
strike.  Old,  broken,  no  wife  or  child  to  clasp  to  his 
breast  for  comfort,  the  enemy  in  possession  of  his 
fair  lands  and  his  sacred  fireside,  his  only  help  was 
to  wrap  himself  in  his  mantle  of  conventionality,  and 
lean  upon  the  far-off  shade  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

"  And  is  it  not  better  so  ?  "  asked  the  deep  eyes  of 
the  Abbe*  de  Navailles.  "Is  it  not  better  than  to 
let  him  suffer?  Am  I  not  prompted  by  affection 
and  wisdom  when  I  seek  to  reconcile  him  with  the 
inevitable  ? " 


AULNAY  TOWER.  69 

Nathalie  with  a  new  tenderness  and  self-reproach 
moved  swiftly  towards  the  marquis.  "I  have  not 
loved  him  enough,"  she  thought,  and  slipped  her  hand 
within  his  thin,  half-paralyzed  arm.  "  Uncle,"  she 
said,  "I  understand.  I  admire.  But  I  am  only  a 
woman,  therefore  it  is  hard  for  me  to  come  to  dinner 
to-day." 

"You  are  a  Montauban,  therefore  you  should 
triumph  over  your  weakness,"  replied  the  marquis 
proudly;  not  actually  displeased  at  her  impulsive 
demonstration,  yet  looking  down  at  her  hand  with 
some  wonder. 

"  Uncle,  let  us  suppose  Marcus  Aurelius  had  had 
a  niece.  Not  a  grand  person  like  him,"  —  her  face 
was  enchanting  in  its  unwonted  pleading  and  play 
fulness,  —  "  but  an  ordinary,  quite  insignificant  niece, 
with  nothing  heroic  about  her  at  all,  nothing  elevated 
and  noble ;  and  suppose  she  was  so  commonplace  as 
to  feel  that  there  was  a  kind  of — indelicacy  —  for 
want  of  a  better  word  she  was  not  clever  enough  to  dis 
cover  —  in  her,  one  woman  alone,  receiving  as  guests 
an  irksome  group  of  men  to  whom  her  least  bitter 
wish  was  that  they  might  all  be  honorably  shot  dead 
on  the  field  of  battle,"  —  her  voice  grew  low  as  she 
went  on,  and  all  the  winning  smiles  had  left  her 


70  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

face ;  "  arid  suppose  she  should  say  to  her  illustrious 
uncle,  '  Pray  excuse  me,  for  I  have  no  heart/  —  what 
would  he  reply  ? " 

"  He  would  reply,"  —  the  withered  frame  of  the 
Marquis  de  Montauban  vibrated  strangely  ;  the  fires 
of  long  ago  leaped  in  his  sunken  eyes ;  he  seemed 
to  grow  tall  as  he  spoke ;  —  "he  would  reply,  ' Have 
I,  then,  nothing  to  bear  ?  By  the  years  in  which 
I  cared  for  you,  by  the  calmness  and  confidence 
of  our  affection,  by  the  sacred  tie  of  blood,  you, 
youngest  of  my  ancient  race,  leave  me  not  alone 
in  my  misfortune ! ' *  He  sank  trembling  into  a 
fauteuil,  his  hands  concealing  his  face. 

"  Marquis,"  —  the  calm  voice  of  the  abbe  recalled 
him  to  his  duties,  —  "General  von  Aarenhorst  and  his 
suite  are  about  to  present  themselves.  I  hear  their 
tread  on  the  stairway." 

The  marquis  sprang  to  his  feet.  His  features 
assumed  their  wonted  expression  of  mild  arrogance 
and  unruffled  composure. 

"You  have  no  choice,  countess,"  whispered  the 
abbe*.  "  Courage ! "  as  the  Germans  entered  the 
room. 

The  meeting  of  General  von  Aarenhorst  and  the 
marquis  was  courtly  and  significant.  A  deferential 


AULNAY  TOWER.  71 

and  manly  greeting,  a  few  brief  words,  a  shrewd  and 
kindly  glance  on  the  one  side,  on  the  other  an  in 
distinct  response,  a  deprecating  wave  of  a  frail  hand 
with  a  manner  of  old-time  elegance,  and  the  dreaded 
moment  passed.  The  officers  one  by  one  as  they 
were  presented  straightened  their  broad  shoulders, 
clicked  their  heels,  inclined  themselves  before  the 
elegant  old  gentleman,  and  saluted.  Madame  de 
Vallauris,  cold  and  pale,  stood  by  her  uncle  and 
seemed  to  see  no  one ;  but  beautiful  women  in  the 
great  world  often  look  cold  and  pale  and  see  no  one, 
and  the  lieutenants  found  her  no  less  entrancing  on 
that  account.  The  marquis  began  to  feel  singularly 
at  ease,  and  warmed  visibly  under  the  genial  influence 
of  von  Linden.  "After  all,  it  pays  to  be  a  heroic 
figure,"  he  thought.  On  the  village  street  the  men 
were  lounging  and  smoking.  German  gutturals 
sounded  powerful  and  all-pervading.  German  sol 
diers  possessed  the  land.  Countess  Nathalie  listened. 
A  squad  of  men  for  forepost  duty  marched  by  with  a 
lieutenant.  Her  heart  resented  every  separate  tone, 
every  color  of  their  uniform,  as  a  personal  injury ; 
but  she  wore  her  air  of  still  and  immeasurable  dis 
tance,  and  asked  herself  if  it  were  a  bad  dream, 
when  she  heard  her  poor  uncle's  familiar  laugh, — 


72  AULNAY  TOWER. 

the  meclianical  laugh  of  the  complaisant  host  approv 
ing  his  guest's  anecdote  whether  he  quite  hears  it  or 
not.  And  when  Jean,  his  spirit  writhing  in  impotent 
rage,  his  manner  the  ideal  of  butler-perfection,  flung 
open  the  folding-doors  and  announced  that  dinner 
was  served,  and  General  von  Aarenhorst  gave  her  his 
arm  to  take  her  in,  she  wished,  as  many  a  quiet- 
looking  woman  too  well-bred  to  be  tragic  often  wishes 
as  she  assists  at  some  unavoidable  ceremony,  that  the 
earth  would  open  and  swallow  them  all. 

But  the  earth  remained  obdurate;  and  she,  like 
the  bride  after  the  solemn  marriage  ceremony,  like 
lovers  in  their  first  pure  rapture,  children  in  their 
hot  and  honest  quarrels,  faithful  hearts  mourning 
their  dead,  —  like  all  of  us,  sinners  or  saints,  bowed 
before  the  inexorable  necessity  of  dinner.  Dinner 
is  indeed  a  stern  tyrant.  Its  hideous,  gregarious 
rites  impose  themselves  upon  us  at  supreme  mo 
ments  when  the  primeval-savage  germ  in  us  asserts 
itself  and  longs  for  air  and  freedom,  space  and  soli 
tude.  The  dagger  suggests  amorous  tragedies,  dim 
Venetian  canals,  and  gliding  gondolas ;  but  the  pon 
derous  silver  fork,  weighed  down  like  many  a  dull 
soul  with  the  sense  of  its  own  respectability,  —  with 
what  suffering,  the  more  cruel  because  prolonged,  is 


AULNAY  TOWER.  73 

it  not  associated !  The  immaculate  napkin,  bristling 
with  conventionality  in  every  rigid  fold,  —  what  ago 
nies  has  it  not  led  oh,  like  the  gallant  pennon  of  a 
forlorn  hope !  All  honor  to  the  unnumbered  victims 
on  the  terrible  field  of  a  slow  dinner!  How  their 
stout  hearts  faint  and  desperately  rally  before  the 
invincible  soup-tureen,  the  deadly  pauses  between  the 
courses,  the  ubiquitous  attack  of  the  waiters,  the  fatal 
volleys  of  small  talk !  How  they  die  a  thousand 
deaths,  yet  bravely  smile !  If,  when  the  spirit  flies 
aghast  from  the  dinner  hocus-pocus,  the  outward  man 
might  vanish  too,  what  a  significant  array  of  vacant 
chairs,  in  our  most  genteel  dining-rooms,  would  com 
memorate  the  triumph  of  nature  over  civilization ! 

"  How  false  it  all  is  !  "  thought  Nathalie.  "  What 
a  tribute  to  the  great  god  Hypocrisy,  that  I  stay  and 
break  bread  with  the  enemy  !  Savages  would  have 
more  honesty  and  self-respect ! "  She  watched  her 
uncle.  His  face  was  excited,  and  the  old,  half-cynical, 
urbane  smile  of  the  man  of  the  world  flitted  over  it ; 
but  the  expression  of  his  eyes  was  uncertain,  and  his 
memory  faltered  now  and  then,  when  she  observed 
he  depended  upon  the  abbe,  whose  low  voice  gave 
the  missing  word,  whose  manner  encouraged  and 
sustained. 


74  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

Again  a  pang  of  self-reproach  troubled  her  con 
science,  and  an  anxious  look  stole  into  her  composed 
face.  "  How  selfish  I  have  been,  not  to  know  how 
old  and  weak  he  has  grown !  How  strangely  blind 
I  was  not  to  observe,  in  the  quiet  days  when  he  was 
near  me,  what  I  see  so  plainly  now  that  we  are 
separated  by  these  strange  men !  Or  is  it  this  one 
day  that  has  aged  him  ?  No,  I  cannot  escape  this ; 
I  should  hear  the  horses  and  the  soldiers,  the  voices 
and  the  constant  sounds,  wherever  I  should  go.  I 
cannot  escape,  and  I  would  not;  for  I  must  stay 
with  him."  Her  solicitous  glance,  leaving  her  uncle, 
touched  here  and  there  upon  the  group,  the  trouble 
still  in  her  eyes,  and  met  with  directness  the  intent 
gaze  of  a  blond  man  in  a  light-blue  uniform,  who 
sat  at  some  distance  from  her.  Involuntarily  her 
look  paused,  arrested  by  the  strength  and  deep  inter 
est  of  his ;  then  she  dropped  her  eyes,  turned  away, 
and  for  the  first  time  of  her  own  accord  addressed 
von  Aarenhorst.  Most  eyes  at  the  table  were  turned, 
as  often  as  propriety  allowed,  towards  the  beautiful 
woman,  with  her  indifferent  air,  beside  the  general. 
There  seemed  to  be  a  tacit  understanding  that  star 
ing  her  out  of  countenance  would  be  an  unfair 
employment  of  their  privileges  ;  and  admiration  was 


AULNAY  TOWER.  75 

therefore  ineted  out  to  her  by  each  according  to  his 
own  measure,  —  light,  bold,  flippant,  respectful,  tem 
pered  by  the  demands  of  the  situation  and  the  pres 
ence  of  dignitaries.  The  inflammable  lieutenants 
conducted  themselves  with  gentlemanly  discretion; 
but  it  must  be  admitted,  had  they  met  Madame  de 
Vallauris  on  the  street  in  a  German  capital,  their  self- 
command  would  have  been  less,  their  visual  organs 
more,  exercised.  As  she  hardened  her  heart  against 
the  strangers,  she  had  looked  up  and  met  the 
gaze  of  a  friend.  Nordenfels'  face,  grave  and  self- 
contained,  intent  yet  not  bold,  inquiring,  seeking, 
demanding,  satisfied  neither  with  himself  nor  yet 
with  her,  seemed  in  the  midst  of  this  strange 
ness  something  long  known  and  familiar  as  her  own 
thoughts. 

So  Madame  de  Vallauris  had  turned  instantly  to  the 
general  with  a  conventional  inquiry.  The  Abbe  de 
Navailles,  his  long  hair  brushed  back  as  if  the  better 
to  expose  the  ingenuousness  of  his  clear  profile  and 
scholarly  face,  made  vivid  mental  notes  of  the  inci 
dent  as  he  unobtrusively  murmured  the  marquis's 
missing  word.  Von  Nordenfels  in  his  turn,  moved 
by  the  subtle  instinct  that  whispers  an  enemy  is 
near,  carefully  studied  the  abbe*.  The  eyes  of  the 


76  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

two  men  also  met  in  a  long,  well-balanced  look. 
Thus  nature  laughs  at  the  solemnity  of  etiquette 
and  dinner,  and  our  spirits,  free  still  in  blessed  mo 
ments,  look  out  of  our  eyes,  declare  war,  and  offer 
love,  in  spite  of  our  worldly  harness. 

Von  Aarenhorst  responded  generously,  forgiving 
her  for  the  frequent  cold  repulses  his  own  conversa 
tional  efforts  had  met.  Being  a  tall  man,  he  bent 
slightly  towards  her,  and  thinking  of  his  dear 
daughter,  he  looked  at  her  indulgently.  In  his 
gallantry  was  a  benevolent  protection  which  would 
have  softened  anything  less  obdurate  than  her 
prejudices  and  sense  of  wrong. 

"  No,  I  have  never  been  in  this  region  before,"  he 
said.  "  Often  enough  in  Paris,  of  course ;  and  I  have 
made  many  excursions  out  of  the  city,  but  not  in 
this  direction." 

"  It  is  not  interesting  here,  unless  it  is  one's  home," 
she  added.  "It  is  flat  arid  monotonous,  and  the 
village  is  as  rustic  as  if  it  were  far  away  in  the 
mountains  or  on  the  coast,  and  not  close  to  Paris ; 
but  the  park  —  " 

Ah  !  it  was  not  easy  to  talk.  The  most  common 
place  topic  but  lightly  concealed  an  unhappy  sig 
nificance.  The  calm  rusticity  of  Aulnay !  Where 


AULNAY  TOWER.  77 

was  it  now  ?    And  Paris  !    Who  could  discuss  Paris 
with  the  enemy  about  to  storm  its  walls  ? 

In  her  discouragement  her  glance  again  wan 
dered  coldly  about  the  table.  "  I  understand ;  I 
would  help  you  if  I  could,"  flashed  from  the  grave, 
watchful  eyes  of  the  stranger  friend,  while  the  bright- 
faced  young  officers  offered  the  open  homage  of  their 
quick,  admiring  looks. 

"The  park  is  a  noble  one,  and  the  landscape, 
under  happier  circumstances,  must  have  an  idyllic 
charm  of  its  own,"  returned  Aarenhorst's  kind  voice. 
"I  too  have  a  country-house  standing  among  tall 
trees." 

"  My  uncle  is  much  attached  to  Aulnay.  Aulnay 
idolized  him,"  she  returned  stiffly. 

The  general  looked  at  her  closely. 

"  Madame,"  he  said,  "  I  have  a  daughter  at  home, 
fair  like  you,  about  your  age.  She  and  her  good 
mother  miss  me,  and  I  miss  them  already  many 
weeks." 

"  I  presume  so,"  was  the  icy  reply. 

Von  Aarenhorst  smiled  indulgently  beneath  his 
twinkling  eyes. 

"  Madame,  may  I  relate  to  you  a  little  experience  ? 
We  were  obliged  to  quarter  in  one  chateau  where  it 


78  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

was  made  evident  we  were  exceedingly  unwelcome. 
The  owner  received  my  adjutant  with  such  extreme 
rudeness  that  he  was  tempted  to  draw  his  sabre. 
Naturally,  when  I  arrived  I  was  not  in  an  amiable 
frame  of  mind.  I  demanded  my  host  somewhat, 
madame,  as  I  demanded  the  marquis  to-day,  when 
you  fronted  me  so  gallantly  until  I  cried  quarter." 
Nathalie  listened,  her  gaze  direct  and  unsmiling. 
"  War  is  not  good  for  us,  madame ;  it  brings  out  all 
that  is  harsh  in  us.  A  campaign  puts  us  in  terrible 
moods.  There  is  something  ghastly  in  living  in  the 
midst  of  rough  men,  sad  sights,  danger  and  death,  and 
for  months  missing  the  sight  of  a  woman's  face,  the 
sound  of  a  child's  voice ;  one  grows  grim  and  unnat 
ural.  I  have  known  times  when  I  felt  I  would  give 
a  year  of  my  life  to  hear  a  child  laugh." 

Countess  Nathalie's  honest  nature  was  touched  by 
his  simplicity.  She  forgot  for  the  moment  that  he 
was  an  enemy,  and  did  not  speak,  but  listened 
attentively,  her  eyes  on  his,  her  face  lovely  in  its 
unconsciousness  and  interest. 

"  But  I  was  telling  you  about  the  other  chateau. 
The  count,  they  said,  was  ill  in  bed.  You  see, 
madame,  that  often  happens;  therefore  pardon  my 
slight  incredulity  this  morning.  I  insisted  upon 


AULNAY  TOWER.  79 

seeing  him.     He  appeared,  white,  not  I  think  from 
illness,  but  from  rage." 

Nathalie  raised  her  head  haughtily. 

"  I  don't  blame  him,"  continued  the  general's  kind 
voice.  "The  family  had  suffered  much.  His  aged 
mother,  eighty  years  old,  had  literally  died  of  fright. 
After  some  conversation  his  manner  changed.  He 
introduced  me  to  the  countess.  She  was  a  beautiful, 
stately  woman,  white  as  marble  as  she  entered.  Do 
I  weary  you,  madame  ? " 

"  No,  no,"  replied  Nathalie,  strangely  interested  in 
the  other  chateau. 

"There  was  a  gradual  change  in  her  manner,  a 
gradual  appearance  of  color  in  her  face  as  we  sat 
talking.  The  door  opened.  A  splendid  boy  of  eight 
sprang  in,  darted  back,  stared  at  the  uniforms,  then, 
open-mouthed,  at  his  mother. 

"  '  Come  in,  Eene,'  said  the  countess.  '  Come  and 
give  your  hand  to  this  German  general.' 

"  The  boy  advanced  on  tiptoe,  —  one  foot  well  back, 
ready  to  spring  in  case  I  should  roar,  or  show  my 
teeth,  or  stand  threateningly  on  my  hind  legs,  —  and 
gave  me  a  timid  little  hand. 

" '  What  does  Eene  do  ? '  I  asked  the  countess. 
'  His  instruction,  of  course,  must  be  interrupted.' 


80  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

" '  I  have  him  commit  poetry  to  memory,  that  he 
may  not  lose  the  habit  of  learning.  It  is  all  we  can 
do  for  him  now.' 

" '  I  am  sure  you  know  "  Maitre  Corbeau  "  ? ' 

" '  Yes,  I  know  that.' 

" '  Will  you  say  it  for  me  ? J 

"  Eene  looked  at  his  mamma. 

" '  Kepeat  it,  my  child/  she  said. 

"Eene  repeated  it,  and  several  fables.  His  hand 
was  nestling  confidently  in  mine  by  this  time. 

" '  Can  you  say  "  Le  Paysan  du  Danube  "  ? ' 

"  '  Shall  I,  mamma  ? ' 

"'Yes,  Eene.' 

"  'It  is  a  very  long  one,'  remarked  Eene,  hesitating. 

" '  If  you  forget,  I  will  prompt,'  said  I. 

"  Eene  forgot ;  I  prompted.  The  child  stared.  The 
count  and  countess  exchanged  glances,  and  asked  us 
to  dine.  It  was  a  simple  repast,  but  gracefully  pre 
pared  with  a  flower  or  two,  as  here,  madame;  and 
a  pleasant  thing  it  is  to  us,  —  the  dainty  touch  that 
betrays  a  woman's  hand.  Their  provision  was  slight 
enough.  They  had  no  meat  except  what  we  brought, 
and  our  men  cooked  in  their  kitchen,  as  here,  madame ; 
but  they  gradually  learned,  if  you  will  permit  me 
to  say  so,  that  they  had  to  do  with  a  chivalrous  set 


AULNAY   TOWER.  81 

of  officers  and  well-disciplined  troops.  Our  relations 
grew  friendly.  When  we  parted,  believe  me,  it  was 
with  mutual  esteem  and  regret.  Madame,  I  have 
hopes  that  our  experience  here  may  be  similar,"  said 
the  general  cordially.  "  It  is  for  that  reason  I  have 
ventured  to  tell  you  so  long  a  story." 

"  But  there  is  no  Eene  here  to  act  as  mediator," 
returned  Countess  Nathalie  quickly,  with  a  little 
laugh ;  "  and  although  you  speak  French  admirably, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  could  surprise  us  with  your 
knowledge  of  our  poets,  you  must  resort  to  other 
means." 

"  I  do  not  despair  of  finding  them ;  I  only  regret 
that  I  am  probably  not  here  for  long.  Colonel  von 
Linden  must  represent  me." 

But  Nathalie  was  already  drawing  herself  up  stiffly, 
repenting  of  her  momentary  naturalness.  "  That  is 
the  way  of  women,"  mused  the  general.  "They 
nurse  a  theory  of  implacable  hatred.  They  forget  it 
quite,  and  smile  on  us,  and  treat  us  well,  only  to  re 
member  and  freeze  again.  She 's  a  pretty  creature,  and 
honest.  I  think  we  shall  be  famous  friends." 

He  then  calmly  neglected  his  fair  neighbor  and 
devoted  himself  to  general  conversation.  Jean  stood 
behind  his  master's  chair,  his  holier  feelings  outraged 

6 


82  AULNAY  TOWER. 

by  the  cheerful  and  frequent  laughter,  and  by  the 
sight  of  meat  mysteriously  provided,  cooked  in  the 
Montauban  kitchen  by  unknown  foreign  men,  and 
served  by  creatures  of  unheard-of  insolence,  who 
marched  in  and  out  as  if  he  were  thin  air ;  and  much 
more  substantial  poor  Jean  indeed  was  not. 

Madame  de  Vallauris  answered  a  few  civil  conver 
sational  sallies  from  the  other  side  with  discouraging 
brevity,  and  in  her  turn  scrutinized  the  company 
which  fate  had  sent  into  the  old  chateau.  As  yet 
she  had  had  no  time  for  thoughts  of  them;  only 
feelings  had  occupied  her,  —  hot,  vehement,  unrea 
soning  feelings.  Now,  no  one  was  speaking  to  her ; 
no  one  seemed  to  be  watching.  She  leaned  back 
quietly  and  thought  about  them  all.  "  It  will  never 
make  any  difference  to  me  what  they  are  or  are  not. 
They  are  enemies  of  France ;  that  is  enough  for  me. 
But  I  will  read  what  each  face  says  as  best  I  can. 
I  will  see  if  they  are  enemies  to  be  feared  or  scorned. 
It  is  surely  well  to  have  an  intelligent  idea  of  one's 
enemies ;  perhaps  more  essential  than  to  know  one's 
friends  categorically,"  she  reasoned  with  a  half  smile. 
"  Friends  ?  I  have  no  friends.  That  is  what  hap 
pens  when  girls  marry  at  seventeen  and  travel  with 
—  older  people  from  hotel  to  hotel,  from  Monaco  to 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  83 

Baden-Baden,  from  Nice  to  Eome,  always  seeking 
a  perfect  climate,  and  the  fountain  of  youth.  Then, 
some  of  my  experiences  and  consequent  moods  were 
not  conducive  to  friendship,"  she  thought  bitterly. 
"  Had  I  met  a  friend  then,  how  would  I  have  known 
her  ?  How  would  she  have  known  me  ?  Did  I  meet 
her  and  pass  her  by  carelessly,  —  I,  who  would  be 
thankful  in  my  soul  for  her  this  day  ?  Was  she  in 
the  long  row  at  some  table-d'hote,  or  one  of  the 
fashionable  throng,  drinking  waters  and  taking  baths 
to  kill  ennui  or  rejuvenate  age,  or  was  she  among  my 
formal  visiting  acquaintances?  Well,  well,  I  never 
found  her.  Perhaps  I  never  deserved  her.  At  all 
events,  here  I  sit,  young  in  years,  and  with  at  least 
no  crime  on  my  conscience  to  shut  me  out  from 
ordinary  human  relationships,  —  and  criminals,  in 
deed,  have  friends,  —  but  not  a  friend  have  I  in  this 
world  except  my  poor  old  uncle.  Claire  and  Diane 
are  married, — presumably  happy.  They  were  little 
sentimental  convent  friends.  What  do  they  know 
of  me,  or  I  of  them,  beyond  a  couple  of  empty  letters 
a  year,  and  an  appropriate  exchange  of  felicitations 
and  condolences  ?  Would  we  know  each  other  better 
for  living  under  the  same  roof  ?  Does  my  uncle  know 
me  better  than  I  know  these  strangers  ?  Do  I  know 


84  AULNAY  TOWER. 

him  ?  Dare  I  pretend  to  know  him  ?  Is  it  only  in 
books  that  one  nature  rests  fully  in  another  in  sym 
pathy  and  comprehension  ?  Do  we  each  go  about  in 
this  world  speaking,  like  Jean  and  these  German  sol 
diers,  different  languages,  only  understanding  one 
another  awkwardly  in  regard  to  superficial  things,  as 
they  now  make  rude,  half- intelligible  signs  about  the 
platters  ?  Is  this  life  ?  Is  this  all,  then  ?  It  is  all  I 
have  known,  and  it  is  dreary.  I  would  like  to  think 
for  the  sake  of  others  that  something  else  exists, 
though  not  for  me." 

A  little  weary,  too  simple  and  brave  to  pose  for 
the  misunderstood  woman,  young  still,  inexperienced, 
and  fresh  in  spite  of  her  conviction  that  life  had 
made  her  old  beyond  computation  and  had  no  new 
thing  to  offer  her,  she  indulged  in  her  rapid,  wander 
ing  thoughts  as  she  prepared  to  make  her  discrimi 
nating  study  of  her  enemies.  The  abbe*  had  taken 
their  mental  measure ;  but  he  was  a  close  student  of 
that  occult  science,  physiognomy.  While  her  quick 
fancy  and  instinct  arrived  often,  like  a  witch-hazel 
wand,  at  magical  results. 

The  general  had  intellect,  was  therefore  dangerous, 
she  decided.  Colonel  von  Linden  was  a  brave,  strong 
man,  impulsive,  and  liable  to  be  misled  by  a  hasty 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  85 

opinion  to  which  he  would  obstinately  cling.  She 
made  her  fine  feminine  guesses  as  to  the  significance 
of  a  square  chin,  a  high  nose,  a  subtle  line  of  cruelty, 
a  benevolent  smile,  a  striking  profile,  a  noble  head. 
She  underrated  the  younger  men,  as  a  woman  often 
underrates  men  of  her  own  age :  found  von  Gerhardt, 
with  his  white  mustache  and  dandy  air,  insipid; 
von  Wedell  insolent  and  supercilious;  von  Bergen 
commonplace.  Forstenau  she  rather  liked  for  the 
honest  schoolboy  look  of  his  smooth  face,  and  his 
sullen  and  awkward  manner  as  he  glowered  in  his 
plate,  speechless,  and  like  her  alone,  though  surrounded 
by  voices  and  laughter.  When  she  came  to  the  tall 
man  in  blue,  she  met  with  an  obstacle.  He  had 
been  quietly  noting  the  indifference,  melancholy,  and 
pride  in  her  face,  the  deeply  thoughtful  yet  feminine 
line  of  the  brow,  the  restrained  warmth  in  her  expres 
sion,  the  mockery  of  the  smile.  "  What  has  made  her 
so  ? "  he  wondered ;  and  had  not  satisfied  his  search 
ing  eyes,  when  hers,  taking  their  inventory,  reached 
him.  The  enemy  otherwise  gave  her  every  oppor 
tunity  to  reconnoitre  its  weaknesses.  They  were  dis 
cussing  some  rare  wine  which,  at  a  sign  from  the 
marquis,  waxing  more  and  more  genial,  the  reluctant 
Jean  produced  from  its  hiding-place,  where  it  had 


86  AULNAY  TOWER. 

been  stored  with  silver  and  other  valuables  before 
the  coming  of  the  Germans.  "The  older  men  are 
distinguished  types,"  she  concluded,  with  a  conscious 
ness  that  pictorial  justice  need  not  lessen  her  patriot 
ism.  "A  little  square-headed,  a  little  heavy,  but 
resolute  and  strong.  General  von  Aarenhorst,  if  he 
were  not  a  German,  I  could  almost  like.  He  says 
he  has  a  daughter.  A  father  like  that  would  not 
be  bad." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  niadame.  Did  you  speak  to 
me  ? "  said  the  general,  turning  to  her  quickly,  his  true 
face,  stern  in  repose,  almost  affectionate  as  he  now 
waited  smilingly  for  her  answer. 

"  'No,  I  said  nothing." 

"  Then  your  beautiful  eyes  spoke,  countess,"  re 
turned  the  dignified  general  as  he  turned  away,  his 
expression  softening  into  a  pleasant  familiarity  and 
protection  which  she  nevertheless  had  the  tact  and 
good  feeling  not  to  resent.. 

"  Yes,  you  were  wise  to  stay,"  he  remarked  across 
the  table  to  the  marquis.  "If  all  the  chateau- 
owners  had  remained,  they  would  have  done  better. 
When  our  men  find  a  place  occupied,  they  are  very 
decent.  Even  an  old  decrepit  woman  who  cannot 
run  away  fares  well,  while  a  vacant  place  exasperates 


AULNAY  TOWER.  87 

them.  Our  warriors  tend  babies  and  help  bring 
wood  and  water.  They  are  glad  of  something  to 
do  when  not  on  duty.  They  are  the  easiest  men 
in  the  world  to  tie  to  a  woman's  apron-strings," 
with  a  smile  at  Countess  Nathalie.  "  We  are  not  a 
warlike  nation,  except  from  necessity.  We  are  lambs. 
But  you  were  wise  to  stay,  marquis.  I  wished  to 
drive  over  from  Clichy  to  Vert  Galant  the  other  day 
in  a  pelting  rain.  The  soldiers  had  appropriated  the 
carriage-top  to  patch  their  shoes.  My  Schiitzen  regi 
ment  have  deprived  the  billiard-table  of  its  green 
cloth  to  eke  out  their  uniforms.  The  iron  frame  of 
the  conservatory  has  been  worked  into  horse-shoes  ; 
and  cold  evenings,  when  green  wood  won't  burn, 
beautiful  carved  doors  and  heavy  old  furniture  unfor 
tunately  will.  Therefore,  as  I  say,  marquis,  though 
our  troops  are  upon  the  whole  well  meaning  and 
well  trained,  if  all  the  chateau-owners  had  remained 
to  guard  their  property,  it  would  have  been  better." 

"  Such  was  my  opinion,"  responded  the  marquis 
placidly,  "  and  the  advice  of  my  esteemed  friend  here, 
the  Abbe  de  Navailles." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  the  general,  looking  attentively  at 
the  abbe*,  who  inclined  his  handsome  head  with 
deference. 


88  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  marquis  smiled  benignly  round  the  table.  A 
shade  of  reserve  was  of  course  desirable, — a  firm 
yet  unmistakable  implication  that  the  situation  was 
delicate  in  the  extreme.  But  the  abbe  was  right,  as 
usual.  It  was  no  use  to  rebel  against  fate,  and  this 
was  no  campaign  which  involved  Bourbon  honor. 
He  had  hoped  to  be  spared.  Up  to  the  last  he  had 
believed  the  turmoil  would  rage  around,  but  not  in, 
sacred  Aulnay.  Now  it  was  upon  him,  he  took  heart 
of  grace.  He  was  an  old  man.  He  could  not  strug 
gle.  These  officers  were  gentlemen  and  cavaliers. 
The  good  old  wine  warmed  his  blood.  He  raised 
his  glass. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said  with  his  courtly  air,  pre 
pared  to  give  a  two-edged  toast  which  would  define 
his  position  and  theirs  with  a  trenchant  and  deft 
stroke.  Suddenly  his  face  fell.  He  put  down  his 
glass. 

"God  bless  my  soul!"  he  exclaimed.  "We  are 
thirteen  at  table  !  I  am  not  in  general  superstitious," 
he  added,  as  people  are  apt  apologetically  to  state  in 
the  very  act  of  yielding  to  abject  superstition,  "  but 
if  there's  anything  to  which  I  have  a  deep-rooted 
objection,  it  is  to  thirteen  at  table."  He  half  rose, 
looking  very  uncomfortable. 


AULNAY   TOWER.  89 

"  Is  n't  it  rather  late  to  discover  it,  dear  uncle  ? " 
asked  Madame  de  Yallauris  demurely. 

"  Under  the  present  circumstances  you  can  surely 
give  yourself  the  benefit  of  the  doubt/'  von  Aaren- 
horst  remarked  heartily.  "  We  military  men  monopo 
lize  all  chances  of  the  doom." 

"  May  it  not  still  be  averted  ?  "  Von  Nordenfels 
rose.  "  I  must  in  any  event  beg  to  be  excused." 

"  I  hope  —  "  stammered  the  marquis  politely. 

"I  have  duties/'  explained  the  adjutant,  rap 
idly  leaving  the  room  with  the  simplicity  and  ele 
gance  which  it  was  Gerhardt's  fondest  aspiration  to 
attain. 

"  That  young  man  is  Lieutenant  von  Nordenfels," 
said  the  general,  looking  after  him  with  kindly 
interest. 

"  Ah  ! "  returned  Nathalie  indifferently. 

"  Do  you  know  what  an  adjutant  is  ? " 

"  Not  precisely,"  she  answered,  without  a  trace  of 
interest. 

"  An  adjutant  is  —  1 11  tell  you  later  what  an  adju 
tant  is,  madame,"  laughing  a  little,  "when  you  ask 
me;  when  you  wish  military  information." 

"Very  good.  I  shall  wait  without  impatience," 
she  rejoined. 


90  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  Every  one  has  a  pet  superstitions  which  he  keep 
mostly  out  of  sight,"  von  Linden  was  declaring. 

"Yes/'  said  a  blunt  major  low  to  his  neighbor; 
"sometimes  it's  dreams,  sometimes  it's  looking-glasses, 
sometimes  it 's  cats,  or  candles,  or  howling  dogs,  or 
haunted  houses.  One  is  as  unimportant  as  another." 

"  You  may  laugh,  gentlemen,"  resumed  the  mar 
quis  with  dignity,  "  but  I  never  knew  thirteen  at 
table  to  fail." 

"  Did  you  ever  know  fourteen  to  fail  ? "  asked  the 
colonel,  smiling. 

"  Great  men  are  often  superstitious,"  remarked  the 
abbe  blandly. 

"  True,  true,"  said  the  marquis.  "  Great  men  are 
usually  superstitious ;  in  fact,  almost  invariably  so," 
he  announced. 

"  Marcus  Aurelius  ? "  inquired  Madame  de  Vallauris 
in  a  low  voice,  smiling  at  him  past  the  lieutenants. 

"  Undoubtedly,  undoubtedly,"  he  returned  with  his 
grand  air. 

"I  am  not  superstitious,"  von  Aarenhorst  said 
thoughtfully.  "  I  know  the  bullet  that  is  not  meant 
for  me  will  not  reach  me." 

"  But  that  also  is  superstition,"  retorted  the  coun 
tess  quickly. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  91 

"  You  are  right,"  he  said,  smiling. 

Catching  her  uncle's  eye,  she  rose,  coldly  acknowl 
edged  the  salutation  of  the  company,  and  passed  out 
on  von  Aarenhorst's  arm. 

The  officers  withdrew.  The  marquis  played  a 
rubber  of  piquet  with  airy  cheerfulness,  well  pleased 
with  his  Aurelian  philosophy.  "  Everything  in  life 
can  be  borne,  —  everything,  if  you  cultivate  true  dig 
nity,"  he  declared.  "  Nathalie,  you  observed  every 
thing?" 

"  Everything,  uncle." 

"  You  were  satisfied  ? " 

"  With  you  ?     Perfectly,  dear  uncle." 

"  Nathalie,  cultivate  true  dignity.  You  are  a  Mon- 
tauban.  You  can  attain  to  it." 

"  Yes,  uncle." 

Somewhat  fatigued,  the  old  gentleman  went  early 
to  his  room.  Nathalie,  high  in  her  turret,  looked 
long  at  the  stars  and  the  dark  Tower,  and  listened  to 
the  movement  below  and  the  voices  of  the  watch. 
She  was  left  at  last  alone  with  herself. 

Pierre  the  fisherman,  detained  late  in  the  sacristy, 
at  the  abbe's  suggestion  remained  quietly  there  until 
dawn. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  beautiful  autumn  days  passed  at  the  chateau 
in  comparative  quiet,  disturbed  now  and  then  by  a 
little  skirmishing,  particularly  near  Bondy.  The 
relations  of  the  marquis  with  the  detachment  of  Ger 
man  officers  quartered  under  his  roof  became  most 
friendly.  His  library  was  their  favorite  resort,  and 
afforded  them  great  enjoyment.  Whist,  chess,  and 
piquet,  he  and  they  depended  upon  evenings, — lovers 
of  games  being  a  sect  apart,  who  forget  jealousies,  strife, 
and  personal  animosity  in  the  pure  delight  of  winning 
the  rubber.  Their  zeal  and  enthusiasm  covered  all 
political  questions,  which  were  indeed  seldom  or  never 
touched  upon.  According  to  the  Marquis  de  Montau- 
ban's  interpretation  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  true  dignity 
should  avoid  perilous  discussions  with  persons  in  au 
thority.  The  German  officers,  sure  of  themselves  and 
their  cause,  never  troubled  themselves  to  inquire  the 
meaning  of  his  reticence.  They  were  content  to  accept 
his  courtesy  and  friendliness.  The  frail  and  fine  old 


AULNAY   TOWER.  93 

marquis  seemed  to  them  the  personification  of  grace. 
They  were  unsought  guests  in  his  house,  their  troops 
tramped  through  his  courts,  their  orderlies  galloped  in 
mad  haste  to  his  door,  their  shrill  bugles  sounded  in 
his  ears,  their  commands,  their  evolutions,  disturbed 
his  peace  of  mind  but  never  his  repose  of  manner ; 
and  this  they  appreciated.  The  suspicion  that  the 
family  were  spies,  which  had  been  at  first  entertained, 
soon  vanished.  Nothing  so  improbable,  unreasonable, 
incredible,  could  be  imagined.  Love  of  country  beat 
high  in  every  heart.  But  the  marquis  in  his  delicate 
way  —  and  all  his  shades  of  meaning  were  as  exquisite 
and  polished  as  a  rare  miniature  painting  on  ivory  — 
did  not  scruple  to  make  manifest  his  extreme  distaste 
to  the  proclamation  of  the  republic.  His  sentiment, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  was  understood  to  be  the  senti 
ment  of  his  house.  Neither  Madame  de  Vallauris  nor 
the  Abbe  de  Navailles  expressed  or  seemed  to  enter 
tain  any  political  opinions  whatever.  They  were  both, 
it  was  evident,  tenderly  attached  to  the  marquis. 
Their  thoughts  centred  in  him  ;  his  comfort,  health, 
and  pleasure  were  their  chief  care.  The  abbe  avoided 
all  intercourse  with  the  strangers,  but  that  occasioned 
no  remark.  What  could  a  bookworm  have  in  common 
with  men  of  action  ?  He  seemed  to  be  a  harmless, 


94  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

thoughtful  nature,  and  wandered  alone  in  the  park 
early  and  late,  apparently  lost  in  religious  meditation. 
Sometimes,  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  Colonel  von 
Linden  and  his  officers  would  discover  him  unex 
pectedly  in  some  shady  corner  or  remote  walk  to  which 
they  had  withdrawn  for  consultation ;  but  his  gentle, 
hurried  greeting,  his  mild  and  somewhat  absent  ex 
pression,  betrayed  clearly  enough  his  desire  to  forget 
the  interruption  and  to  return  with  all  speed  to  the 
higher  realms  where  his  pure  spirit  soared,  far  from 
worldly  men  and  hate  and  war.  The  marquis  and  his 
niece  went  regularly  through  the  covered  way  into  the 
little  church,  and  scrupulously  observed  all  the  cere 
monies  of  their  religion.  They  were  devout  Catholics, 
and  naturally  under  the  influence  of  their  spiritual 
guide.  The  marquis's  complete  dependence  upon  him 
was  conspicuous  in  every  tone  of  their  intercourse,  and 
Madame  de  Vallauris  was  frequently  seen  with  him, 
engaged  in  earnest  conversation.  He  scarcely  spoke 
except  to  them  and  to  the  two  fishermen  from  the 
Ourcq  Canal.  To  those  poor  men  the  good  abbe  was 
most  gracious  and  kind.  "  I  have  never  seen  so  con 
sistent  a  religious  man,"  Von  Linden  remarked  one 
day.  "  He  fits  his  vocation  like  a  stone  in  the  wall. 
That 's  what  I  like.  Every  man  where  he  belongs. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  95 

He 's  a  born  parson,  I  'm  a  born  soldier.  It  could  n't 
have  been  otherwise." 

"Not  in  your  case,  assuredly,"  von  Nordenfels 
returned ;  "  but  the  abbe's  eyes  are  not  strictly 
ecclesiastical." 

"  Eyes,  eyes  !  What 's  the  matter  with  the  man's 
eyes?"  said  the  colonel,  disinclined  to  accept  any 
thing  he  himself  had  not  perceived. 

"  Nothing  whatever.  They  are  admirable  eyes  for 
seeing,  and  he  sees  all  there  is ! " 

"Why  should  n't  he  see?" 

"  I  certainly  have  no  objection." 

"  Well,  I  don't  suppose  we  any  of  us  can  help 
our  eyes,"  von  Linden  rejoined  somewhat  testily. 
"For  that  matter,  whenever  I  look  at  him,  his  are 
buried  deep  in  a  book." 

"  Those  eyes  buried  ?  Then  I  only  happen  to 
observe  them  in  the  moments  of  their  glorious  resur 
rection." 

"  Come,  come,  Nordenfels,  what  have  you  got  in 
your  head  against  the  poor  abbe*  ?  Does  he  monopo 
lize  Madame  de  Vallauris  too  much  for  your  taste  ? 
Look  at  your  own  eyes." 

"  I  can't  very  well,  without  a  looking-glass.  Not 
being  Gerhardt,  I  have  n't  one  in  my  pocket." 


96  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  I  mean  to  say  the  abbe  might  equally  well  take 
umbrage  at  them,  and  say  they  are  not  military.  I 
presume  you  will  admit  there  ought  to  be  military 
eyes  as  well  as  ecclesiastical  eyes.  Now,  you  are  a 
cavalry  officer  through  and  through.  Eeduce  you  to 
dressing-gown  and  slippers,  and  still  every  movement 
suggests  the  Gardereiter.  You  can't  disguise  yourself. 
'  Army'  is  written  on  your  brow ;  '  army '  is  stamped  on 
your  long  legs ;  '  army '  sits  on  your  broad  shoulders. 
But  your  eyes,  —  they  're  a  disgrace  to  you.  At 
moments  they  are  the  eyes  of  a  schoolboy  mooning 
with  sentiment ;  the  eyes  of  a  visionary  philosopher. 
Confound  it,  Nordenfels,  I  don't  want  to  hurt  your 
feelings,  but  they  might  almost  be  the  eyes  of  a — 
poet!" 

"Don't  insult  me,"  returned  Nordenfels,  smiling. 

"Then  let  my  good  friend  the  Abbe  de  Navailles 
possess  his  eyes  in  peace,  without  your  animad 
versions." 

"  Men's  eyes  don't  deserve  so  much  discussion," 
the  adjutant  said  lightly.  "  The  only  eyes  worth 
talking  about  are  the  eyes  of  a  beautiful  woman." 

"  The  sentiment  is  sound,  and  does  you  credit." 

Upon  which  the  adjutant  dropped  the  subject.  But 
as  the  young  German  was  given  to  quietly  working 


A  ULNA  Y   TOWER.  97 

out  problems,  he  occupied  himself  more  or  less  with 
the  unknown  quantity  in  the  Abbe  de  Navailles'  eyes, 
and  speculated  also  upon  the  nature  of  the  spiritual 
advice  which  necessitated  so  prolonged  and  earnest 
tete-a-tetes  with  Madame  de  Vallauris.  He  envied  the 
privileges  of  the  saintly  man.  Yet  not  infrequently  the 
fantastic  idea  sprang  into  his  mind  that  the  thought 
ful,  attentive  face  which  the  beautiful  woman  turned 
towards  the  abbe*  as  she  listened  to  his  homilies 
betrayed  more  keen  watchfulness  than  simple  liking 
and  trust.  Why  should  she  not  like  and  trust  the 
family  friend  ?  Why  should  she  put  herself  mentally 
on  guard  in  his  presence  ?  Why  should  her  clear 
eyes  resolutely  question  his  ?  Why  should  she 
shrug  her  shoulders  with  impatience  or  weariness  ? 
Why,  nevertheless,  should  they  be  apparently  on 
the  best  of  terms,  so  that  without  minute  scrutiny 
no  one  would  have  suspected  the  tiniest  flaw  in 
their  companionship? 

One  evening  when  Madame  de  Vallauris  and  the 
abbe  were  talking  low  in  the  bay-window,  von  Nor- 
denfels  concentrated  so  much  thought  upon  this 
grand  "  why,"  with  its  innumerable  ramifications, 
that  the  marquis  triumphantly  checkmated  him  in 
three  moves. 

7 


98  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Whatever  the  Abbe  de  Navailles  might  be  in  his 
innermost  soul,  Madame  de  Vallauris,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  tall  man  in  blue,  was,  so  far  as  outward  man 
ner  was  concerned,  perfection.  The  one  lady  among 
nearly  a  thousand  men,  she  glided  in  and  out  with 
incomparable  simplicity  and  reserve.  To  the  younger 
officers  she  remained  pale,  frosty,  arid  beautiful  as  a 
moonlight  night  in  midwinter.  General  von  Aaren- 
horst  was  now  at  Clichy.  In  spite  of  her  strenuous 
efforts  to  keep  her  manner  at  the  freezing-point,  she 
frequently  forgot  herself  during  his  stay  at  Aulnay, 
and  charmed  him  with  her  naturalness  and  grace. 
Colonel  von  Linden's  animation  and  kindliness  had 
also  now  and  then  caused  a  sensible  relaxation  in 
her  frigidity.  It  must  be  admitted  that  perfect 
consistency  was  not  her  chief  attribute  at  this  time. 
Her  theory  of  conduct  was  loftily  immovable,  but  in 
her  practice  was  a  perplexing  variableness.  If  she 
deigned  to  smile  at  the  genial  colonel's  wit,  and  treat 
him,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  like  a  fellow-creature  "  one 
day,  she  was  sure  to  repent  before  morning,  and  rele 
gate  him  at  their  next  meeting  to  the  misery  of 
neglect.  To  the  younger  men  she  was  from  the 
beginning  relentlessly  unapproachable.  Bat  in  spite 
of  their  lamentations,  they  were  of  the  unanimous 


AULNAY  TOWER.  99 

opinion  that  she  was  filling  a  difficult  position 
uncommonly  well;  and  her  extreme  reserve,  fairly 
considered,  seemed  a  duty,  a  privilege,  and  another 
charm. 

Eegularly  in  the  chapel,  often  in  the  more  secluded 
alleys  of  the  park,  and  gradually  among  the  soldiers, 
as  illness  claimed  her  pity  or  an  occasional  wounded 
man  was  brought  into  Aulnay  after  a  skirmish,  her 
fair,  grave  face  and  black-robed  figure  were  seen, 
always  followed  by  the  brilliantly  illuminated  Ma- 
nette.  Colonel  von  Linden's  generous  heart  had 
repudiated  the  bare  suggestion  of  possible  treachery 
on  the  part  of  a  perfect  gentleman  of  the  old  school, 
like  the  Marquis  de  Montauban,  his  most  lovely  niece, 
and  so  unworldly  a  person  as  the  Abbe*  de  Navailles. 
The  indignity,  as  it  seemed  to  the  good  colonel, 
which  they  had  at  first  suffered  in  being  restricted 
to  the  chateau  and  park,  he  had  long  since  withdrawn, 
merely  requiring  their  parole  as  a  matter  of  form. 
The  invalid  marquis  smiled  gently,  but  remained  at 
home.  Countess  Nathalie  and  the  abbe  made  use  of 
their  freedom  only  when  they  could  do  some  good 
work  among  the  men.  Such  characters,  bearing  the 
great  discomforts  of  their  position  with  dignity  and 
resignation,  winning  profound  esteem  from  every  side, 


100  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

were  indisputably  what  they  seemed  to  be.  Any- 
thought  of  double-dealing  was  preposterous.  More 
over,  had  they  had  the  desire  to  communicate  with 
Paris,  where  was  their  opportunity  ?  No ;  every  step 
they  took  was  visible;  every  unsuspicious,  unsus 
pected  act,  before  the  gaze  of  hundreds.  The  colo 
nel's  confidence  never  wavered;  his  attachment  to 
the  three  strengthened  each  day.  "  Spies,  spies,"  he 
would  say,  "  of  course  there  are  spies,  German  as  well 
as  French.  But  it 's  arrant  nonsense  to  push  the  spy 
theory  too  far.  If  there  are  spies  at  Aulnay, — I'm 
one  myself!" 

Madame  de  Valla uris  was  known  among  the  troops 
as  "The  Lady,"— not  "The  Countess,"  not  "The 
gracious  lady,"  according  to  their  pretty  and  civil  Ger 
man  form  of  speech ;  but,  as  if  the  rough  soldiers  were 
glad  to  see  something  finely  feminine  passing  in  their 
midst,  and  to  acknowledge  its  unique  charm,  she  was 
to  them  always  "  The  Lady."  Her  beauty  won  them, 
as  beauty  is  apt  to  win,  without  effort  or  desire ;  and 
if  she  had  been  quite  as  good  to  them,  but  possessed 
of  ugly  features  and  a  croaking  voice,  they  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  grateful,  but  in  all  proba 
bility  their  gratitude  would  have  been  less  impreg 
nated  with  enthusiasm  and  personal  devotion.  To 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  101 

be  as  beautiful  as  Helen  of  Troy  no  one  need  per 
haps  desire,  although  what  woman  would  disdain 
the  fatal  gift  should  the  great  gods  proffer  it  ?  But 
the  beauty  that  made  Countess  Nathalie's  kind 
deeds  seem  kinder,  lent  a  nameless  grace  to  her 
slightest  ministration,  and  softened  rude  men  as  she 
passed,  was  surely  a  blessing  to  her  and  to  them. 
Then,  her  gentleness  and  indulgence  were  boundless. 
She  never  condescended  to  them  with  the  evident 
intention  of  displaying  amiability,  never  awkwardly 
sought  to  bridge  the  distance  between  them  with 
phrases  of  studied  benevolence.  She  heard  a  com 
plaint  or  a  request  looking  the  man  honestly  in  the 
face  with  her  air  of  intelligent  consideration  and 
respect  for  his  needs.  Her  simplicity  came,  saw,  and 
conquered.  A  vulgar  duchess  —  the  type,  in  truth, 
is  not  unknown  —  would  have  found  her  haughty. 
She  was  endowed  with  the  power  of  instantly 
congealing  a  displeasing  conversational  current; 
and  the  rash  being,  whether  placed  by  the  acci 
dent  of  birth  high  or  low  in  the  world's  congeries, 
who  should  presume  to  be  familiar,  intrusive,  or 
curious,  —  who  should,  like  an  ill-bred,  giggling 
woman,  nudging  with  a  rash  elbow  to  attract  her 
neighbor's  attention,  dare  mentally  to  nudge  Countess 


102  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Nathalie's    sacred    personality,  —  would    have    had 
reason   to   repent. 

But  the  soldiers  in  Aulnay  offended  her  neither 
by  presumption  nor  pretence ;  and  as  she  learned  to 
know  their  wants,  they  occupied  her  much.  Energies 
which  had  been  lying  dormant  awakened,  and  her 
empty  life  grew  replete  with  interest  and  duties. 
Mornings,  in  her  high  turret-room,  she  listened  for 
the  bugle,  the  tramping  feet,  the  voices  and  calls,  the 
swift  coming  and  going  of  the  orderlies.  Adjutant 
von  Nordenfels  brought  the  command  from  Vert 
Galant.  Sometimes,  early,  she  would  hear  his  voice 
in  the  court-yard  at  dawn  giving  his  Bursch  an 
order.  She  knew  his  horses  too.  Naturally,  she 
could  not  be  so  wholly  blind  and  deaf  as  she  would 
fain  have  made  herself  to  all  things  appertaining  to 
the  staff.  She  apologetically  admitted  to  her  own 
conscience  that,  being  a  person  of  average  intelligence, 
she  was  scarcely  able  to  escape  from  the  necessity 
of  observing  which  of  the  officers  seemed  cleverest, 
most  zealous,  the  best  soldiers.  Von  Nordenfels  was 
evidently  considered  a  rising  man,  and  was  indefati 
gable  in  service.  In  his  unassuming  way  he  now 
and  then  sought  to  approach  her.  She  could  talk 
with  him  easily  and  would  have  forgotten  that  she 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  103 

must  not  enjoy  his  conversation,  if  she  had  not 
peremptorily  forced  herself  to  remember.  Curiously, 
the  ungainly  and  coltish  Forstenau  was  surest  of  a 
friendly  reception.  She  was  somewhat  uncertain  to 
him  also,  but  at  times  seemed  to  have  an  unlimited 
fund  of  patience  for  his  awkwardness  and  stammer 
ing.  In  return,  she  gained  from  him  much  informa 
tion  about  horses  and  racing.  Next  to  his  horse,  von 
Forstenau  loved  von  Nordenfels ;  and  occasionally,  in  a 
moment  of  unwonted  expansion  of  soul,  the  superior 
topic  yielded  to  the  secondary,  and  the  adjutant's 
valiant  deeds  and  kind  and  manly  qualities  were 
warmly  if  uneloquently  descanted  upon  by  the  young- 
Centaur,  who  paraded  his  friend's  points  in  full  gallop, 
as  it  were,  before  the  quiet  countess. 

Manette,  after  her  own  fashion,  did  likewise.  Her 
incisive  mind  had  rapidly  arrived  at  von  Nordenfels 
as  the  most  fitting  knight  elect  for  her  mistress,  and 
with"  von  Nordenfels  it  faithfully  abode.  She  was 
as  sure  that  he  was  the  man  for  the  countess,  as  she 
was  sure  that  Johann  Wackerrnann,  the  big  and  burly, 
exactly  suited  her  own  fancy.  But  while  she  had  fully 
determined  to  subjugate  and  in  fact  finally  marry  the 
huge  Wackermann,  and  already  had  him  in  a  state  of 
dough-like  submission  to  her  moulding  touch,  Madame 


104  AULNAY  TOWER. 

de  Vallauris  did  not  raise  a  finger  towards  any  cavalier 
whatever.  "  Anything  so  unnatural  is  wicked,  and 
that  I  shall  declare  to  the  day  of  my  death ! "  Mam- 
selle  Manettechen,  as  the  soldiers  called  her,  vehe 
mently  affirmed.  "  It  is  a  crime,  and  the  day  of 
reckoning  will  come,"  she  concluded  tragically.  "Ah, 
if  madame  would  but  take  counsel  by  me !  I  've 
got  Wackennann,  bless  him !  safe  and  sure.  He 's 
the  man  for  my  disposition.  He  grins  when  I  make 
eyes  at  Corporal  Heinrich,  looks  proud  of  me  when 
he  catches  me  coquetting  in  the  dusk  with  Scheible, 
and  is  cairn  as  a  May  morning  when  the  lieutenants 
make  hay  while  the  sun  shines.  And  who  can 
blame  the  beautiful  dears  for  liking  their  bit  of  fun. 
with  a  cheery  little  thing  like  me,  when  they  get 
nothing  but  cold  looks  and  haughtiness  up-stairs  ? 

"  But  all  the  same  Wackerrnanu  is  the  jewel  I  Ve 
been  looking  for  and  never  found  till  now.  And 
now  I  've  found  him  I  '11  keep  him.  For  Wacker- 
mann  will  let  me  have  my  little  fling  and  won't  be 
jealous.  Any  man  who  could  possibly  be  jealous 
I  should  make  jealous.  Wackermann  is  the  sure 
haven  where  I  '11  always  come  back  to  rest  after  my 
various  enlivening  little  excursions.  Wackermann  is 
a  dear,  sweet-tempered  as  a  lamb  and- brave  as  a  lion, 


AULNAY  TOWER.  105 

big  as  a  giant,  and  a  very  handsome  man  withal. 
Yes,  he  's  the  man  of  my  choice,  and  what  comfort  in 
the  thought !  And  oh,  if  Countess  Nathalie  would  not 
harden  her  heart !  Many  maids,  being  themselves 
provided  for,  would  never  trouble  their  heads  about 
their  mistresses ;  no,  not  they,  the  selfish  things !  But 
the  more  I  associate  with  madame,  the  more  attached 
I  grow  to  her ;  ideas  descend  upon  me  in  torrents.  And 
when  I  think  what  a  picture  we  two  make,  —  she  so 
elegant  and  graceful,  so  all  that  a  countess  should  be, 
and  I  with  my  basket  trippiDg  jauntily  along  behind, 
and  all  the  men  watching,  and  Wackermann  smiling 
most  affectionately,  and  all  my  other  lovers  making 
such  eyes,  and  '  Mamselle  Manettechen '  here,  and 
'Mamselle  Manettechen'  there, —  why,  my  devotion 
to  Countess  Nathalie  is  beyond  all  bounds;  for  if  I 
had  n't  been  her  maid,  would  I  ever  have  found 
myself  in  such  a  heavenly  situation  ? 

"  But  she,  —  she  might  as  well  be  a  dairy-maid  at 
Grosley  Farm,  so  far  as  simplicity  goes !  And  she 
does  n't  act  it,  either.  Not  in  vain  have  I  made  my 
nice  observations  at  the  theatre,  as  well  as  been  maid 
to  ladies  of  high  degree,  who  mostly  act  as  well  off 
the  stage  as  others  do  on  it.  There's  many  who 
would  play  the  role  Countess  Nathalie  's  doing  now 


106  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

quite  natural,  but  I  should  find  them  out.  A  woman 
may  deceive  the  mother  that  bore  her,  the  husband  of 
her  choice,  the  friend  of  her  bosom,  her  brother,  her 
lover,  but  she  never  can  deceive  the  maid  who  but 
tons  her  boots  in  her  moments  of  energy,  and  brushes 
her  hair  in  her  moments  of  languor." 

Late  one  night  Madame  de  Vallauris  leaned  back 
thoughtfully  in  her  chair.  It  was  scarcely  what 
could  be  denominated  a  moment  of  languor,  but  she 
looked  graver,  more  preoccupied  than  her  wont,  and 
held  her  half-closed  book  listlessly.  Manette's  dex 
terous  fingers  had  loosened  her  mistress's  hair  pre 
paratory  to  brushing  it.  As  the  little  maid  daintily 
arranged  the  toilet  implements,  turned  up  the  lamp, 
and  moved  a  footstool,  a  great  resolution  seized  her. 

She  was  about  to  speak,  when  Madame  de  Vallauris 
said,  "  Manette,  I  am  afraid  that  poor  boy  is  going  to 
die." 

"  I  'm  afraid  he  is,  madatne." 

"  He  has  a  mother,  and  a  sister,  and  a  sweetheart, 
at  home." 

"  That 's  as  it  should  be,"  Manette  returned  stoutly, 
"  especially  the  sweetheart.  I  don't  care  what  leads 
up  to  it,"  she  thought.  "  By  hook  or  by  crook  I  'm 
going  to  have  my  say  to-night." 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  107 

"  But  it 's  surely  harder  for  him  to  go  if  he  must 
leave  what  he  loves." 

"And  I  should  say  it  would  be  harder  to  go  if, 
he  'd  never  had  anything  at  all.  What  you  've  had 
you  've  had,  and  nobody  can  take  that  much  away 
from  you.  But  if  you've  never  had  anything  you 
ought  to  have  had,  and  the  time  comes  for  you  to 
leave  this  world,  —  and  a  very  pleasant  world  it  is, 
after  all,  madame,  with  compensations  even  in  war 
times,  for  such  as  look  for  them,  —  why,  then  your 
soul  has  a  right  to  get  up  and  protest,  and  say,  '  Beg 
ging  your  pardon,  I  'm  not  ready,  for  I  've  never  had 
my  chance  ! '  Not  that  there  are  n't  such  as  have 
their  chances  and  throw  them  away,"  she  added  with 
marked  significance. 

"  I  promised,"  Countess  Nathalie  went  on  gently, 
not  noticing  the  girl's  tirade,  "  to  write  a  letter  to  his 
people  if  he  does  not  live,  and  to  send  them  a  lock 
of  his  hair." 

"  Well,  I  'm  sorry  for  him ;  but  he  's  kissed  his  sweet 
heart,  and  stepped  out  well  to  the  music  with  his 
flag  flying,  so  if  he  must  go,  as  many  another  brave 
boy  must,  he 's  had  the  foam  of  the  moment.  Good- 
by  to  him.  It  is  n't  he  that  occupies  me  most." 

Countess  Nathalie  was  rarely  surprised  by  Manette's 


108  AULNAY  TOWER. 

eccentricities,  but  now  she  turned  her  head  slightly 
and  glanced  up  at  her. 

"  May  I  speak,  madaine  ? "  demanded  the  girl  in 
an  excited  voice. 

"  Certainly.     Why  not  ? " 

"  But  may  I  speak  not  precisely  as  madame  ex 
pects  ?  May  I  speak  my  mind  J  " 

The  countess  looked  doubtful. 

"  I  hardly  think  it  would  do  to  give  you  plenary 
indulgence,  Manette,"  she  responded,  smiling.  "  Your 
'  mind '  might  be  so  very  extraordinary.  It  is  late, 
too ;  you  must  be  tired.  You  'd  better  go  now,"  she 
said  very  kindly.  "  You  need  not  brush  my  hair." 

For  her  only  answer  Manette  seized  a  hand-mirror, 
and  coming  quickly  round  in  front  of  the  countess, 
brandished  it  before  her  with  a  tragic  air. 

"  Well,  is  there  anything  the  matter  ?  "  inquired 
Madame  de  Vallauris  with  faint  surprise. 

"  There 's  everything  the  matter,"  returned  Manette 
solemnly.  • 

"  I  seem  to  look  very  much  as  usual,"  said  her  mis 
tress  in  an  uninterested  way.  "  Put  it  down,  please." 

"  But  no,  madame,"  cried  Manette  with  pathos, 
and  actually  a  tear  in  her  hard  black  eye,  "  not  until 
I  once,  even  at  the  risk  of  madame's  displeasure, 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  109 

introduce  madame  to  her  own  self;"  flourishing  the 
mirror  wildly  before  Countess  Nathalie's  eyes,  which, 
however,  were  looking  over  its  rim  in  much  astonish 
ment  at  her  agitated  maid. 

"Madame  sees  her  beautiful  face,  her  long,  fair 
hair.  Madame  will  not  attempt  to  deny  that  there  as 
she  sits,  with  no  aid  from  the  pleasing  arts  of  the 
toilet,  wrapped  in  a  loose  white  dressing-gown  made 
before  my  time  and  of  no  particular  cut,  she  is  as 
lovely  as  a  dream.  What  would  not  be  the  feelings 
of  those  officers  to  behold  madame  at  this  moment  ! 
What  would  not  be  the  feelings  of  any  man  of  sen 
timent  and  soul !  But  I  demand,  if  a  bullet  should 
lodge  in  madame's  breast  this  night  and  carry  her  off, 
like  that  poor  German  boy,  to  whom  would  madame 
send  a  lock  of  her  hair  and  her  last  loving  message  ? 
And  so  I  say  he  is  better  off  than  madame.  He 
must  lose,  but  madame  never  had." 

Countess  Nathalie  stared  at  the  girl  in  amazement, 
yet  struck  by  her  words.  "  Are  you  mad,  Manette  ? " 
she  murmured. 

"And  when  I  see  madame's  face,  and  think  what 
that  face  would  be  to  a  man  that  loved  it,  —  and  what 
I  say  is  only  nature,  and  true,  and  no  harm  at  all, 
for  madame  is  a  woman ;  a  countess  is  a  woman  as 


110  AULNAY  TOWER. 

much  as  a  maid  is,  and  so  I  say,  and  I  have  never 
failed  in  respect  to  madame  and  never  will,  —  when 
I  think  what  that  face  would  be  to  a  man,  I  could 
cry  to  see  madame  going  on  in  her  unnaturalness. 
What  will  madame  have  for  it  when  she  is  old  ?  Ah, 
when  rnadame's  bright  hair  is  gray,  when  her  clear 
eyes  are  dim,  she  will  say,  '  What  repays  me  now,  that 
I  did  not  drink  the  foam  of  the  moment  ? '  The  foam 
of  the  moment, —  it  is  something  for  madame,  some 
thing  else  for  me.  Madame  is  fine,  and  good,  and 
deep.  I  am  shallow  and  light,  but  I  am  wiser  in  my 
way  than  madame.  I  make  the  foam  of  my  moment 
mine;  madame  turns  away  from  hers.  One  goes, 
another  comes.  What  has  madame  for  all  her  youth, 
and  goodness,  and  beauty  ?  Nothing.  No  one.  And 
whom  has  she  to  thank  ?  Herself.  For  though 
madame  is  young,  if  she  can  resist  this  she  can  re 
sist  everything  always.  Madame  has  taught  herself 
still  ways,  sombre  thoughts.  What  did  madame  do 
before  the  war  but  mope,  —  mope  all  day  long  in  the 
park,  mope  evenings  in  the  library  ?  Was  that  a  life  ? 
For,  with  all  respect,  are  an  old  gentleman  of  seventy 
and  a  holy  saint  of  an  abbe*  proper  associates  for  a 
young  and  beautiful  woman  ?  And  now  what  does 
madame  do  ? 


AULNAY   TOWER.  Ill 

"  It  is  not  that  madam e  should  at  once  decide  upon 
anything  uncompromisingly  matrimonial.  Ah,  no  ! 
I  do  not  say  that  is  essential.  There  is  a  charm 
in  the  artistic  blending  of  pale,  undecided  hues.  A 
strong  and  pronounced  color  wearies  one  sooner. 
Uncertainty  stimulates,  mystery  beckons.  Why,  in 
deed,  should  madame  hasten  towards  the  irrevocable  ? 
She  has  had  her  little  experience.  Delicacy  forbids 
me  to  allude  to  what  I  did  not  personally  observe, 
but  more 's  the  pity ;  for  if  I  had  had  the  honor  to  be 
the  attendant  of  madame  during  her  period  of  digni 
fied  tribulation,  such  as  is  common  in  the  best  fami 
lies  where  gentlemen  have  so  variegated  a  reputation 
as  the  late  Count  de  Vallauris,  I  am  convinced  that 
my  character  and  influence  and  appearance,  which 
contrast  so  agreeably  with  madame's,  would  have  in 
a  great  measure  sustained  and  cheered  madame,  and 
prevented  the  unnaturalness  of  her  predilections. 

"  Is  this  a  life,  that  madame  leads  ?  Madame 
should  have  a  life  of  noble  lines,  of  warm  yet  sub 
dued  colors.  My  eyes  never  deceive  me.  I  know 
what  is  appropriate.  Madame's  life  is  like  a  straight 
monotonous  sacque,  —  ugly,  cold,  dull  drab,  and  of 
an  inflexible  material,  —  no  pliancy,  no  grace,  no 
freedom ;  and  if  madame  goes  on,  she  will  render 


112  AULNAY  TOWER. 

herself  unable  to  adapt  herself  to  anything  else.  Ah, 
where  is  the  tender  blue,  where  is  the  amorous  rose, 
where  are  the  glowing  purples  and  royal  reds  and 
pure  gold,  of  madame's  life  ?  It  is  all  drab,  drab, 
drab.  It  is  the  color  of  a  dirge. 

"Madame's  little  experience  has  depressed  her. 
Very  good.  It  was  natural.  It  was  appropriate. 
But  does  any  experience  last  forever  ?  Madame, 
even  if  I  had  my  way,  would  still  be  reticent,  softly 
alluring,  vaguely  retreating.  Ah,  the  toilets  my  fer 
tile  brain  has  created  for  the  time  when  madame 
awakens  from  her  long  sleep,  looks  gladly  at  the 
world,  and  drinks  the  foam  from  the  very  top  of 
the  moment! 

"  Men,  madame,  men !  Who  knows  them  better 
than  I  ?  Just  heaven !  Do  I  pretend  they  are  per 
fection  ?  But,  after  all,  madame,  they  are  the  best 
there  is,  and,  managed  rightly,  by  far  the  most  enter 
taining.  And  if  madame  were  a  little,  a  very  little 
receptive,  a  very  little  lenient,  would  only  keep  her 
hand  in,  as  it  were,  even  if  she  does  not  deign  to 
produce  definite  results  at  present,  she  would  never 
repent,  never  !  It  is  not  too  late.  The  opportunity 
this  moment  presents  itself.  When,  indeed,  was 
there  ever  before  such  an  opportunity  in  the  history 


AULNAY   TOWER.  113 

of  France  —  not  that  I  ever  read  it,  or  wish  to. 
There  are  moments  one  recognizes  without  big  books 
to  help  one.  The  moment  and  the  men  are  here ! 
Here  are  the  heroes,  —  tall  and  short,  blond  and 
black,  thin  and  stout,  grave  and  gay,  with  uniforms 
of  every  color  and  every  grade  to  choose  from,  and 
the  gardener's  house  full,  and  the  porter's  lodge,  be 
sides  the  whole  chateau,  and  new  ones  coming,  and 
changes  all  the  time,  and  yet  the  old  friends  still, 
and  nothing  but  devotion  and  readiness  on  their 
parts,  —  nothing;  and  madame  looks  at  them  as  if 
they  were  sticks  and  stones  and  shadows,  instead  of 
men  ! 

"  And  if  madame  were  a  little  friendly  and  human, 
would  the  sky  fall  ?  If  madame  were  half  as  gentle 
to  that  beautiful  blue  one,  for  instance,  as  she  is  to  all 
the  ragamuffins  in  the  ranks,  would  that  be  a  sin  or  a 
shame  ?  Does  n't  his  Emperor  make  him  go  to  war 
just  as  much  as  the  rank  and  file  ?  Is  n't  the  Em 
peror  the  servant  of  the  people  ?  It 's  nobody's  fault. 
War  is  war.  It 's  an  accident,  like  an  earthquake. 
And  is  this  madame's  war,  any  way?  Madame's  war 
would  be  a  Legitimist  war,  and  nothing  else.  And 
why  punish  the  handsome  lieutenants  ?  Is  that 
Christian  ?  The  beautiful  blue  one  watches  madame. 

8 


114  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Ah,  and  how  !  He  is  serious,  and  distinguished,  and 
silent ;  and  what  manners !  and  what  a  soldier ! 
There  are  others,  handsome  too,  and  gay,  —  captains, 
lieutenants,  counts,  barons,  what  one  will,  —  but  the 
beautiful  blue  one  is  appropriate.  And  when  he 
looks  at  madame,  he  looks  from  deep,  deep  down  in 
his  soul,  and  he  thinks,  as  he  stands  there  so  straight 
and  tall,  with  his  face  as  earnest  as  madame's,  'Ah, 
if  the  beautiful  lady  would  let  me  tell  her  my 
thoughts,  would  let  me  look  close  into  her  eyes 
and  say,  Dear  lady,  you  are  lonely  and  sad,  but  only 
let  me  —  '" 

"Manette!" 

Countess  Nathalie  rose,  staring  singularly  at  the 
girl.  Her  fair  hair  fell  about  her  face;  she  slowly 
put  up  her  hand  to  her  head.  The  maid's  torrent  of 
words  she  had  listened  to  as  if  to  a  revelation  from 
another  world.  She  had  not  thought  to  chide  or 
silence  her. 

"  Manette  ! "  warned  the  lady's  voice  at  last. 

"  I  don't  care.  She 's  heard  it  for  once  in  her  life, 
and  it 's  good  for  her ! "  the  girl's  heart  honestly 
exulted.  "And  she  can't  send  me  away  for  my 
impudence,  for  there's  no  place  to  send  me,"  her 
shrewd  head  added. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  115 

"Madame,"  she  returned  meekly. 

"You  may  leave  me." 

"  Madame  is  not  offended  ? " 

"  Offended  ?  JSTo.  But  you  fprgot  yourself,  Ma 
nette,"  said  the  countess  in  her  iciest  tone. 

"  If  I  ever  remembered  myself,  it  was  just  now/' 
thought  Mamselle  Manettechen.  "  Mostly,  when 
you  've  prepared  your  conversation  the  very  things 
you  care  about  seem  to  have  slipped  completely  out 
of  your  mind.  But  I  struck  the  nail  on  the  head 
this  time,  and  from  every  side  at  once." 

"  Yes,  madarne,"  she  replied  modestly. 

She  withdrew,  her  countenance  demure,  her  con 
science  uttering  warm  encomiums. 

Madame  de  Yallauris  stood  motionless  some  min 
utes  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  hesitated,  then 
pulled  the  bell-rope. 

Manette  came  tripping  in  innocently,  as  if  nothing 
more  important  than  a  rosette  on  a  slipper  had  been 
under  discussion. 

"  Madame  desires  something  ? " 

The  countess,  though  very  gentle,  never  looked 
prouder  or  more  serious  as  she  stood  before  the  girl 
in  her  white  draperies  and  loose  hair  and  said  gen 
erously  :  "  Manette,  your  words  were  unfitting,  but 


116  AULNAY  TOWER. 

I  am  sure  you  meant  them  kindly.  For  that  I  thank 
you.  Good-night." 

"Good-night,  inadame.  Madame  is  too  good.  I 
wish  madame  sweet  dreams." 

Away  went  the  little  maid,  never  indeed  much 
preyed  upon  by  compunctions  or  doubts  of  the  wis 
dom  of  her  course,  but  at  this  moment  in  a  state  of 
audacious  and  supreme  self-glorification. 

In  spite  of  Countess  Nathalie's  best  efforts,  she 
could  not  forget  Manette's  extraordinary  harangue. 
There  were  phrases  of  it  which  seemed  to  have 
burned  themselves  upon  her  memory  in  indelible 
characters.  She  fell  asleep  only  to  dream  restless 
and  fantastic  dreams.  "  These  are  the  heroes  ! "  cried 
a  loud  voice.  Gigantic  and  changing,  yet  distinct 
like  cloud-forms  in  wild  night-skies,  a  great  proces 
sion  swept  over  mighty  mountain-tops,  —  Hector  and 
Achilles  and  old  Ajax,  Arthur  and  Launcelot  and 
the  Knights  of  the  Holy  Grail,  Charlemagne,  Theo- 
doric,  Bomans,  crusaders,  modern  kings,  stately  war 
riors  of  all  lands  and  times.  "  Choose  !  "  cried  the 
voice.  "  A  countess  is  but  a  woman.  Choose  !  Is 
yours  a  life  ?  Choose !  For  what  is  your  youth,  for 
what  your  beauty,  for  what  the  warmth  and  long 
ing  of  your  heart  ? " 


AULNAY  TOWER.  117 

With  strains  of  martial  music  the  grand  procession 
marched  on,  sounding  the  war-cries  of  ages,  waving 
countless  banners  of  renown.  Then  it  vanished. 
There  was  a  great  stillness.  In  a  cottage  of  Aulnay, 
on  the  narrow  bed,  instead  of  the  wounded  soldier 
she  had  pityingly  watched  that  day,  a  young  and 
stately  cavalier  lay  dying.  The  familiar  face,  pallid 
against  the  brave  blue  uniform,  looked  with  strange 
longing  into  hers.  "Dear  lady,  you  are  lonely," 
he  began;  "only  let  me  — "  He  paused,  his  voice 
wavered.  "  Say  farewell  to  my  sweetheart,"  he  mur 
mured  faintly.  "  Tell  her  not  to  grieve.  We  lived. 
We  loved.  We  drank  the  foam  of  the  moment." 


CHAPTER  V. 

IN  bureau- work  for  Colonel  von  Linden,  whose 
sword  was  mightier  far  than  his  pen,  and  whose 
epistles  were  a  sure  means  of  disguising  his  thoughts, 
Max  von  Nordenfels  was  indispensable.  Indeed,  his 
clerkly  duties  were  so  naturally  performed,  the  colonel 
might  have  classified  him  in  the  ignoble  array  of 
lawyers,  doctors,  pedagogues,  authors,  and  all  such 
as  entertain  undue  interest  in  the  invention  of  Guten 
berg,  had  not  Kordenfels  saved  his  reputation  by  his 
spirit  and  activity  in  service.  His  energy,  exactness, 
rapidity  of  execution,  courage,  and  a  certain  persist 
ence  or  toughness,  made  him  invaluable  as  a  leader 
of  men  in  critical  situations.  During  the  campaign 
the  soldiers  had  had  not  infrequent  opportunities  of 
proving  their  attachment  to  him ;  and  there  was  not 
one  of  his  company  who  would  not  have  followed 
him  unwavering  to  certain  death. 

He  was  by  no  means  a  Protean  genius,  but  simply 
a  young  man  well-born,  well-endowed,  well-bred,  well- 


AULNAY   TOWER.  119 

educated,  with  a  well-grown  body  and  a  well-looking 
face.  Fair,  tall,  blue-eyed,  grave  with  strangers,  he 
was  essentially  of  a  Northern  type.  His  manner, 
always  distinguished,  merged  quickly  under  provo 
cation  from  gentleness  to  extreme  stiffness,  —  a  schol 
arly  soldier,  a  soldierly  scholar,  cherishing  many  a 
fair  theory  of  humanity  and  benevolence,  many  a 
hope  of  the  world's  progress  towards  liberty  and 
light,  in  spite  of  the  seemingly  retrograde  motion 
from  time  to  time  of  this  confusingly  mulish  planet ; 
and  in  the  deep  recesses  of  his  soul  hovered  an  ex 
alted  dream  of  womanhood  and  home. 

Like  most  young  men,  he  had  fallen  in  love  more 
or  less  deeply  on  unnumbered  occasions,  happily 
fallen  out  again,  and  time  had  healed  his  scars.  Yet 
his  manner  while  under  the  influence  of  love's  fre 
quent  young  dreams  had  been  so  much  less  demon 
strative,  expansive,  and  exuberant  than  is  common 
to  the  average  lieutenant,  that  his  comrades  held 
strange  theories  of  his  insensibility.  Some  casino- 
pleasantry  had  once  called  him  "  Tilly,"  —  the  man 
who  never  laughed  and  never  loved  a  woman ;  and 
the  name,  in  spite  of  its  absurdity,  clung  to  him. 

From  his  gymnasium  days,  when  a  succession  of 
maidens  with  braids  or  ringlets  sat  enthroned  in  his 


120  AULNAY  TO  WEE. 

vulnerable  heart,  through  his  cadetship  and  entrance 
into  the  elegant  world,  he  was,  to  speak  plainly,  in 
love  without  intermission. 

In  the  higher  circles  of  conservative  countries 
there  is,  as  all  polite  people  must  concede,  no  such 
thing  as  flirtation.  Anything  so  vulgar  would  not 
be  tolerated  or,  indeed,  comprehended;  and  only  a 
vague,  an  imperfect  allusion  to  the  alleged  practices 
of  a  cruder,  coarser  race  ever  sullies  the  innocence  of 
German  aristocracy.  It  is  a  benign  interposition 
of  Providence  that  four  thousand  miles  of  water 
separates  the  girl  who  would  unblushing!?  walk  a 
block  with  a  man  at  high  noon  —  with  two  men,  if 
circumstances  require  —  from  her  sister  who  would 
die  before  she  would  put  her  soul  in  conventional 
jeopardy  by  such  light  conduct. 

No,  there  is  no  flirtation,  at  least,  flirtation  visible 
to  the  naked  eye,  in  Leipzig  or  Dresden.  What  cor 
responds  to  that  bold,  bad  Americanism,  means,  in 
truth,  in  Germany,  either  less  —  or  more.  But  what 
signified,  then,  the  unutterable  things  many  a  dove- 
eyed,  languishing  maiden  looked  at  Max  von  Nor- 
denfels,  when,  held  very  close  against  his  breast,  they 
whirled  madly  round  to  an  intoxicating  Strauss  waltz, 
while  the  august  row  of  chaperones  against  the  wall 


AULNAY  TOWER.  121 

nodded  serenely,  and  tacitly  proclaimed  to  the  world 
at  large  that  all  was  well  in  the  realm  of  strict  pro 
priety  ?  What  meant  certain  twilight  episodes  and 
conservatory  reminiscences  ?  Under  what  head  shall 
tender  little  missives,  slipped  into  his  willing  hand, 
be  classified  ?  Why  was  his  private  drawer  overflow 
ing  with  plaintive  and  suggestive  notes :  — 

DEAR  BARON  MAX,  —  You  looked  unhappy  at  his  Excel 
lency's  ball.  Or  was  it  my  fancy  ?  I,  too,  am  most  miserable. 
If  you  but  knew  what  —  but  no  —  I  must  not  write  it.  I  will 
tell  you  at  the  Krawisckys.  Of  course  you  will  be  there.  I 
have  not  forgotten  :  every  other  waltz  and  the  cotillon.  How 
triste  life  is  !  Always  your  A. 

Now  this  authentic  effusion  betokens  neither  a 
heinous  crime  nor  yet  a  palpable  engagement.  It  is 
evident  that  its  gentle  warmth  might  have  been 
fanned  into  a  flame  by  Baron  Max,  but  it  was  not. 
In  all  honesty,  he  left  the  privilege  of  consoling 
"Always  his  A."  to  somebody  else,  and  "A."  in  all 
honesty  was  shortly  consoled.  But  by  what  name 
acceptable  to  all  prejudices  denominate  this  effer 
vescing  interchange  of  sentiment? 

Then  "  Always  his  B.,"  his  "devoted  C.,"  his  "ever- 
faithful  D.,"  his  "attached  friend  E.,"  and  all  his 
alphabet  of  susceptible  and  perfectly  chaperoned 


122  AULNAY  TOWER. 

sweethearts  also  honored  him  with  their  innocent  con 
fidences,  —  be  it  understood,  not  without  all-sufficient 
entreaty  and  intense  encouragement  on  his  part, — 
until  the  flowers  and  gloves  and  ribbons  which  he  treas 
ured  equalled  in  quantity  an  eligible  young  bachelor's 
collection  of  similar  tender  objects  in  any  crude  land 
where  the  informal  exchange  of  sentimental  keep 
sakes  would  not  be  regarded  as  an  anonymous  crime. 
These  unimportant  facts  in  his  career  merely  serve  to 
demonstrate  that  a  handsome  young  cavalry  officer 
in  Germany  finds  now  and  then  something  to  miti 
gate  the  rigor  of  his  lot,  and  between  the  heavy  and 
solemn  fugues  of  society  indulges  occasionally  in  a 
pleasing  and  capricious  little  intermezzo. 

The  letters  and  the  keepsakes  Nordenfels  had  long 
since  burned.  The  looks  and  the  smiles  he  had,  for 
the  most  part,  forgotten.  His  calf-love  epoch  was  a 
time  of  the  gray  past.  He  had  had,  indeed,  deeper 
affairs  since.  Then  came  a  lull  in  his  amorous  pro 
clivities.  He  took  to  hard  reading,  decided  views, 
found  society  a  bore,  and  was  the  despair  of  his  good 
father,  who  desired  him  to  marry  one  of  three  eligible 
young  girls  in  Leipzig  society  whom,  with  paternal 
wisdom  and  unimpeachable  logic,  he  had  selected. 
Max  even  alarmed  the  old  baron  seriously  by 


AULNAY  TOWER.  123 

expressing  radical  views.  He  went  so  far  as  to  say 
that  when  he  married  he  should  choose  only  a  large, 
sweet  nature  that  would  not  measure  life  with  the 
petty  and  irritating  measure  of  Leipzig  womankind. 
One  of  his  friends  had  married  an  American,  a  beau 
tiful  and  rare  woman,  and  made  for  himself  what 
seemed  to  Max  an  ideal  home.  He  found  wonderful 
freshness  in  its  loving  atmosphere,  a  graciousness  in 
its  hospitality,  a  picturesque  charm  in  what  elsewhere 
was  dull  routine.  But  there  are  Americans  and 
Americans.  The  next  type  he  met  was  a  young  girl 
whose  exquisitely  pretty  face  it  was  impossible  to 
overlook.  She  wore  huge  diamonds  in  her  delicate 
ears,  told  her  mother  at  the  table-d'hote  with  the 
sweetest  smile  in  the  world  to  "  shut  up,"  and  before 
a  row  of  electrified  lieutenants  remarked  with  perfect 
ease  and  ingenuousness,  "  Ma  says  there 's  no  good  in 
these  mixed  marriages.  Ma  disapproves.  She  says 
they  always  come  to  grief;  but  I  Ve  made  up  my  mind 
to  try  one,  all  the  same."  Max  Nordenfels  withdrew. 
This  was  not  the  kind  of  originality  he  sought. 

For  some  years  now  he  had  conspicuously  sought 
nothing  feminine,  and  his  comrades  regarded  him  as 
curiously  indifferent  to  woman's  charms,  and  in  con 
sequence  held  him  for  a  man  of  boundless  ambition. 


124  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Now  at  thirty  he  found  himself  —  amid  the  stirring 
scenes  of  a  campaign,  anticipating  no  emotion  other 
than  the  legitimate  excitement  of  war  —  most  vio 
lently  and  seriously  in  love  with  Madame  de 
Vallauris. 

Moreover,  he,  the  cool,  grave,  and  unimpressionable 
"Tilly"  of  the  regiment,  had  fallen  in  love  like  a 
schoolboy,  at  first  sight.  From  the  moment  she  had 
stood  before  the  officers  in  her  cold  protest  and  an 
swered  Aarenhorst  with  unrelenting  pride,  he  had 
found  her  admirable  and  lovable  beyond  all  women 
he  had  met.  He  yielded  on  the  spot  the  last  linger 
ing  remembrance  of  the  most  winning  and  gentle  of 
his  countrywomen ;  it  became  instantly  a  matter  of 
supreme  indifference  to  him  that  fascinating  Ameri 
cans  existed.  His  ideas  of  beauty  and  womanliness 
began  and  ended  with  her ;  his  hopes  for  the  future 
included  her  as  it  included  his  own  soul. 

Except  for  the  pleasure  of  being  in  love  that  only 
a  lover  knows,  —  "  the  joy  that  is  born  of  pain,"  —  he 
was  truly  uncomfortable  at  this  period.  In  the  first 
place,  everybody  else  was  in  love  with  the  countess, 
as  a  matter  of  course.  As  von  Gerhardt  remarked, 
no  man  who  respected  himself  could  fail  to  be  in  love 
with  her.  She  was,  he  declared,  Beauty  surrounded 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  125 

by  a  thousand  Beasts,  Dornroschen  and  scores  of 
Princes,  Little  Eed  Fading  Hood  and  many  wolves. 

All  the  heroines  of  all  romantic  tales  had,  accord 
ing  to  him,  concentrated  their  fascinations  in  her 
unique  personality.  Not  that  Gerhardt's  ebullitions 
in  themselves  were  dangerous.  He  was  the  best  soul 
in  the  world,  and,  in  spite  of  his  affected  dandyism, 
which  would  easily  lead  the  pedantic  judge  of  char 
acter  astray,  in  spite  of  his  youthful  exaggerations, 
an  honorable  gentleman,  a  brave  cavalier.  His  mul 
titudinous  love-affairs  were  the  standing  joke  of  the 
regiment,  —  each  heart  experience,  frankly  recounted, 
having  the  duration  of  the  dew  on  the  blossom.  But 
still  Gerhardt  would  talk,  and  his  talk  was  repugnant 
to  a  fastidious  man  like  Nbrdenfels;  and  von  Wedell 
talked,  —  less  agreeably,  be  it  said ;  and  the  colonel 
and  the  captains  and  the  surgeons  talked.  Norden- 
fels  longed  often  to  stop  their  mouths  with  clay. 
Forstenau  did  not  talk.  Nordenfels  liked  him  the 
better  for  it,  and  owed  him  a  debt  of  gratitude. 

That  she  was  beautiful,  that  she  was  exquisite, 
elegant,  stately,  graceful,  that  her  dull,  fair  hair  grew 
richly,  that  her  hands  were  fine,  her  eyes  thoughtful, 
that  her  mouth  was  too  often  mocking  and  satirical, 
that  her  whole  face  was  the  coldest,  her  manner  the 


126  AULNAY   TOWER. 

stillest  ever  seen,  except  when  she  softened  marvel 
lously  and  changed  altogether  in  response  to  some 
wish  or  whim  of  the  lame  old  marquis,  —  Max  Nor- 
denfels  knew  but  too  well ;  and  it  was  torture  to  him 
to  hear  his  comrades  discuss  her  perfections.  Yet 
what  earthly  right  had  he  to  remonstrate  or  interfere? 
They  said  nothing  derogatory  or  disrespectful.  On 
the  contrary,  they  admired  her  vastly,  and  offered  her 
their  deferential  if  evanescent  allegiance.  Since  a 
pint  measure  cannot  hold  a  quart,  why  require  of  it 
more  than  its  legitimate  capacity  ? 

Nordenfels  would  surely  have  been  most  miserable 
if  every  man  of  the  whole  staff  at  the  chateau  had 
been  seized  with  a  grand  passion  for  Madame  de  Val- 
lauris.  At  the  same  time  their  amiable  superficial 
homage  was  displeasing  to  him.  He  grew  unreasona 
ble  and  irritable.  Often  evenings,  as  she  sat  with  her 
book,  or  came  and  went  in  her  still  way,  —  for  the 
marquis  was  uneasy  if  she  left  him  long,  and  would 
grow  nervous  at  his  game  until  his  glance  met  hers, — 
Nordenfels  felt  a  fierce  longing  to  seize  her  and  take 
her  in  his  arms  and  spur  his  good  horse  and  bear  her 
away  from  them  all,  through  the  night,  out  of  the 
world.  Sitting  there  primly,  —  he  with  a  book,  she 
with  a  book,  the  abbe  with  a  book,  and  all  their 


AULNAY  TOWER.  127 

books  most  thoroughly  unread,  von  Linden  or  another 
playing  b^zique  with  the  marquis,  —  von  Nordenfels 
grimly  questioned  whether  we  have  upon  the  whole 
improved  our  ways,  and  whether  the  simplicity  and 
directness  of  his  old  robber-knight  ancestor,  who 
carried  off  the  lady  of  his  love  and  flung  his  rival 
into  the  deepest  dungeon  of  his  castle,  were  not 
admirable  qualities.  The  Abbe  de  Navailles  was,  in 
one  sense  surely,  not  a  rival.  But  Countess  Nathalie 
looked  at  him,  listened  to  him,  —  reasons  enough  for 
removing  him  summarily  from  the  scene  of  action. 
He  was  accordingly  mentally  consigned  to  the  mediae 
val  dungeon  as  often  as  Nordenfels  came  to  the  library 
evenings. 

But  infinitely  worse  than  the  annoyance  caused  by 
his  comrades,  a  greater  obstacle  than  the  ubiquitous 
abbe  with  his  dark,  gleaming  eyes,  was  the  invincible 
reserve  of  Madame  de  Vallauris.  Night  and  day  he 
asked  himself  how  this  was  to  be  overcome.  In  his 
impatience  he  was  forced  to  remember  that  stronger 
than  bolts  and  bars  and  guards  is  the  repelling  force 
of  a  woman's  own  heart.  "  But  I  love  her,"  he  told 
himself ;  "  I  love  her  with  my  whole  soul.  I  under 
stand  her,  now,  in  all  that  she  does,  and  I  would  not 
have  her  a  shade  kinder." 


128  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  morning  after  Manette's  surprising  midnight 
exposition,  Madame  de  Yallauris,  accompanied  by  her 
maid,  went  to  look  after  the  wounded  soldier.  The 
poor  boy  had  died  in  the  night,  and  his  beardless  face 
wore  the  look  of  a  fair  young  child.  Wackermann 
stood  by  him,  grave  and  sorry. 

"  Were  you  with  him  ? "  inquired  the  countess. 

"  Yes,  madame,  and  the  lieutenant." 

"  The  lieutenant  ? " 

"  Lieutenant  von  Nordenfels.  He,"  with  a  glance 
at  the  still  face,  "  asked  for  him." 

"Ah!" 

Wackermann  now  became  the  grateful  but  uncom 
prehending  recipient  of  encouraging  smiles,  exciting 
nods,  and  vastly  eloquent  looks  from  Mamselle 
Manettechen.  The  good  fellow  went  on  quite  inno 
cently  :  "  The  lieutenant  was  abed.  But  he  turned 
out  as  quick  as  if  poor  Karl  had  been  a  general.  He 
knew  Karl  at  home.  We  're  all  from  the  same  place, 
—  Karl  and  I  from  the  village,  the  lieutenant  from 
the  Schloss.  We  were  boys  together.  The  lieutenant 
was  sorry  to  see  poor  Karl." 

Never  had  Manette  given  him  such  glances  of  un 
qualified  delight  and  affection.  It  was  part  of  her 
tactics  to  provoke,  to  leave  unsatisfied,  to  bewilder ; 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  129 

but  now  he  was  basking  in  the  strong  sunshine  of 
her  full  and  unreserved  approval.  It  encouraged  him 
to  further  speech. 

"  It  is  n't  every  young  gentleman  that 's  ridden  all 
day  and  been  writing  a  mountain  of  papers  all  night, 
that  would  get  up  at  dawn  just  to  see  a  poor  fellow 
that 's  got  to  die  whether  or  no,  and  stand  by  him 
as  tender  as  a  woman.  But  the  Hen*  Lieutenant 
is  n't  the  sort  that  cares  for  his  own  comfort,  —  for 
food  and  sleep  and  ease,  and  all  that.  Colonel  von 
Linden  came  in  yesterday  too.  That  pleased  poor 
Karl  mightily.  He  was  proud  of  that." 

Oh  the  bitter  reproach,  the  dark  dissatisfaction,  of 
Manette's  pantomime ! 

On  Wackermann's  broad  face  a  slow,  vast  doubt 
uprose.  What  had  he  said  to  displease  his  adored 
Manettechen?  With  her  bright  black  eyes  she 
was  casting  vividly  imperious  glances  at  her  slave 
and  urging  him  on,  to  what  he  knew  not.  Much 
depressed,  he  began  humbly,  "Lieutenant  von 
Nordenfels  —  " 

At  once  his  inscrutable  sweetheart's  face  beamed 
with  smiles.  Vehement  but  affectionate  little  nods 
cheered  his  dejected  spirit. 

Wackermann  stopped  short  to  consider.     Consider- 


130  AULNAY  TOWER. 

ing  involved  in  his  case  such  ponderous  creaking 
mechanism,  that  stopping  short  in  any  other  occupa 
tion  was  a  necessity  of  his  being.  Manette's  dumb- 
show  went  on  unceasingly.  Then  Wackermann 
grinned.  Proud  of  his  perspicuity,  he  stared  at  her 
long  and  cheerfully. 

Madame  de  Vallauris  turned  quickly  and  looked 
at  her  maid,  not  in  the  least  deceived  by  that  adroit 
young  woman's  innocent  repose  of  manner. 

"  Only  go  on ! "  implored  Manette  as  soon  as  her 
mistress's  head  was  turned. 

"  Lieutenant  von  Nordenfels  —  "  began  the  amiable 
giant,  when  his  face,  except  for  the  attentive  eyes, 
suddenly  assumed  the  curiously  expressionless  look 
common  to  the  soldier  greeting  his  superior,  and  his 
hand  flew  up  in  respectful  salute  as  Max  von  Nor- 
denfels  entered  the  little  room. 

"  Ah,  madame,  you  here  ?  That  is  kind,"  he  said 
quietly. 

She  looked  gravely  at  him,  then  down  at  the  still, 
white  face.  Her  strange  dream  was  haunting  her 
incessantly.  It  had  made  Nordenfels'  features  more 
familiar  to  her  than  any  in  the  world.  She  wished 
his  actual  presence  had  not  followed  until  she  had 
had  time  to  forget  the  pleading  of  the  eyes,  the 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  131 

sweetness  of  the  smile,  the  pathos  and  the  power  of 
the  dream-face.  There  was  something  unpleasant 
and  startling  in  meeting  him  here  and  now.  "  Dear 
lady,  you  are  lonely,"  he  had  murmured  in  the 
dream. 

"You  were  with  him,  I  believe,"  she  returned 
simply. 

"  Yes,  I  happened  to  be  here." 

"  He  is  young  to  go.     He  looks  like  a  child." 

"Karl  was  a  brave  fellow,"  von  Xordenfels  said 
warmly;  "though  young,  one  of  our  best  men.  I 
knew  him  personally.  He  came  from  my  own  home. 
He  was  on  the  outpost  service  three  nights  ago.  It 
was  a  stray  French  shot  that  struck  him.  When  he 
lingered,  I  thought  he  'd  get  over  it.  Poor  old  boy  — 
there  11  be  many  tears  wept  for  you  at  home  ! " 

"  His  is  not  the  worst  fate,"  murmured  the  coun 
tess,  moved  to  speak  she  scarce  knew  why. 

"  Ah,  no  ! "  answered  the  young  man  with  a  bright 
smile.  "  He  would  say  so  if  he  could.  Better,  too, 
than  if  he  were  a  married  man  with  a  wife  and  chil 
dren  depending  upon  him.  The  stray  balls  do  not 
always  choose  so  wisely,  do  they,  my  poor  Karl  ? 
Oftenest  they  hit  the  bread-winners,"  bending  with 
a  pitying  smile  over  the  dead  soldier  struck  down 


132  AULNAY  TOWER. 

in  his  young  manhood.  Then,  turning  to  Madame 
de  Vallauris,  he  said,  "He  bade  me  say  farewell  to 
his  sweetheart  —  " 

"  And  tell  her  not  to  grieve,"  said  the  countess  in 
a  low,  distinct  voice,  repeating  the  words  slowly, 
mechanically,  and  looking  absently  at  Nordenfels, 
who,  with  much  surprise,  asked,  "  But  how  could 
you  know  that,  countess  ? " 

Up  to  her  hair  mounted  the  warm  accusing  color, 
as  she  realized  how  singularly  she  had  spoken. 

Nordenfels  noted  it  with  curious  satisfaction.  He 
knew  no  just  cause  why  she  should  blush.  But  as 
her  very  eyelashes  were  important  to  him,  and 
whether  she  looked  to  the  right  or  the  left  a  signifi 
cant  and  interesting  fact,  he  could  not  fail  to  regard 
this  evidence  of  feeling  as  a  revelation  and  a  phe 
nomenon  ;  and  he  stood  staring  at  her  speculatively, 
quite  forgetting  that  direct  looks  indefinitely  pro 
longed  were  the  privilege  of  an  intimacy  he  had  not 
the  honor  of  enjoying  with  Madame  de  Vallauris. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said  at  length.  "  I  inter 
rupted  you." 

"  You  anticipated  merely.  '  Tell  her  not  to  grieve/ 
were  his  very  words." 

"  But  she  will  grieve." 


AULNAY   TOWER.  133 

He  nodded  gravely. 

"  Some  one  died  last  year  in  this  very  house,  —  an 
Aulnay  man.  I  was  quite  indifferent.  Yet  I  am 
sorry  for  this  stranger,"  she  continued. 

"The  other  had  his  people  round  him,"  he  sug 
gested. 

She  shook  her  head.  "  No,  it  was  not  that."  She 
did  not  indeed  know  what  was  stirring  in  her  soul, 
making  her  sympathies  larger  and  more  tender. 

She  stooped  and  cut  a  lock  of  the  boy's  bright  hair. 
"  I  promised  to  send  it  to  his  people,"  she  explained. 

"  You,  madame  ! " 

"Ah,  yes,  our  chateau  manner,"  piped  Manette 
shrilly,  "is  not  our  cottage  manner  by  any  means; 
and  what  the  fine  officers  lose,  the  common  soldiers 
have  in  abundance.  Not  that  one  begrudges  it  to 
that  poor  fellow.  But,  in  general,  is  it  justice  ? " 

"  Hush,  Manette  ! "  said  the  countess.  "  I  cannot 
write  German  very  well,"  she  continued  to  Norden- 
fels,  "  but  they  will  understand,  at  least.  He  seemed 
to  wish  me  to  write." 

"  Then  I  will  send  your  letter  with  mine,"  he 
returned,  moved  to  think  their  words  would  go  to 
gether  to  the  sorrowing  old  mother  in  the  village 
that  nestled  in  the  valley  below  his  own  home. 


134  A  ULNA  Y   TOWER. 

"That  a  woman's  tenderness  ministered  to  him  at 
the  last,  —  they  will  remember  that." 

"  I  do  not  feel  that  he  is  a  German,"  she  said 
suddenly. 

Nordenfels  smiled  slightly.  "  No ;  dead,  we  are 
all  pretty  much  alike.  It  seems  hardly  worth  while 
to  hate  one  another  in  this  world." 

"  You  say  that  ?     A  soldier  ?  " 

"  What  has  war  to  do  with  hate,  madame  ? "  he 
returned  quickly.  "Cannot  a  soldier  be  a  man  of 
intelligence  and  heart  ?  War  is  a  necessity ;  but  the 
war  of  civilized  people  is  not  the  expression  of  per 
sonal  animosity.  What  had  this  poor  boy  against 
France  ?  What  have  I,  for  that  matter  ?  I  revere 
France,  madame ! " 

There  was  much  that  she  could  have  replied  about 
war  and  life  and  death.  Questions  trembled  on  her 
tongue.  It  seemed  to  her  they  two  had  much  to  say 
to  each  other.  But  men  were  looking  curiously  in 
the  window  and  crowding  into  the  house.  She  could 
do  nothing  here. 

"  I  must  go,"  she  said,  thoughtfully  fixing  her  eyes 
on  Nordenfels*  face.  The  vivid  dream,  his  manly, 
sympathetic  voice,  the  still  form  of  the  young  sol 
dier,  touched  her  strangely.  Life  seemed  vast  and 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  135 

incomprehensible  and  infinitely  sad.  Often  enough 
she  had  been  only  sorry  for  herself.  In  this  moment 
she  sorrowed  for  the  whole  sorrowing  world.  All 
her  gentleness  revealed  itself,  and  the  muscles  of  her 
mouth  played  sensitively.  He  had  never  seen  her 
like  this.  He  felt  that  he  adored  her.  She  leaned 
in  her  exquisite  womanliness  over  the  young  face, 
calm  and  beautiful  in  death.  Did  his  spirit  see  the 
green  fields  of  his  childhood,  or  was  it  wandering 
in  undreamed-of  realms  of  bliss,  that  he  wore  that 
mysterious  look  of  peace  that  passeth  understanding  ? 
"  For  his  dear  home,"  she  murmured,  touching  her 
lips  to  his  brow. 

Wackermann  gave  a  great  honest  gulp  and  coughed. 
Manette  threw  up  her  eyes  with  a  kind  of  theatrical 
ecstasy.  Nordenfels  made  one  eager  step  forward, 
then,  with  his  accustomed  self-restraint,  "  Madame," 
he  said,  his  voice  trembling  but  a  little,  "  madame,  I 
thank  you  for  his  old  mother,  who  must  mourn  her 
last-born,  bravest  son.  I  thank  you  for  the  young 
heart  that  has  lost  its  Love.  I  thank  you  —  for 
myself." 

A  moment  more,  and  she  had  left  the  cottage  and 
passed  out  among  the  soldiers,  who  made  way  for  The 
Lady  respectfully,  and  looked  after  her  with  gratitude 


136  AULNAY  TOWER. 

and  strong  approval.  She  went  rapidly  down  the 
middle  of  the  village  street  and  on  to  the  chateau. 
Manette  fairly  scintillated  with  satisfaction. 

Nordenfels  tried  to  remember  what  he  had  said. 
It  struck  him,  too  late,  that  he  ought  to  have  made 
more  of  the  occasion;  ought  to  have  been  cleverer, 
more  impressive.  But  it  had  seemed  so  perfectly 
natural  for  him  and  the  beautiful  Countess  de  Val- 
lauris  to  be  standing  in  a  rude  room  adjoining 
an  ex-grocer's  shop,  looking  into  each  other's  eyes 
over  the  body  of  poor  Karl  Radi,  that  he  had  not 
considered  the  possibilities  and  significance  of  the 
moment. 

He  gave  his  last  orders  for  the  burial,  and  spoke 
considerately  with  Wackermann,  and  remembered  old 
days  kindly,  yet  went  from  the  chamber  of  death  with 
a  strong  new  joy  possessing  him.  "  The  Lady,"  he 
heard  a  man  say  as  he  passed.  The  Lady,  in  truth, 
—  the  Lady  of  his  love,  the  Lady  of  his  heart,  the 
one  dear  Lady  of  the  world  to  him ! 


CHAPTER   VI. 

"I  THINK,  my  dear,  that  the  abbe  is  right,"  said 
the  marquis. 

"  When  was  the  abbe*  not  right  ?  "  returned  his 
niece  gently. 

"  True,  Nathalie,  true  !  I  am  glad  that  you  recog 
nize  his  qualities ;  sometimes  I  have  fancied  you  fail 
to  appreciate  him ;  it  is  merely  an  idea,  but  it  has 
distressed  me,  absurd  as  it  is."  He  laughed  feebly, 
by  way  of  reassuring  himself. 

"  Then  do  not  be  distressed,  dear  uncle,  for  I  am 
convinced  that  I  appreciate  the  abbe." 

The  marquis  looked  at  her  smilingly.  "That  is 
well,"  he  began,  with  a  shade  of  condescension. 
"  Appreciate  —  appreciate' —  one  uses  the  word  rela 
tively,  of  course.  To  appreciate  him  fully,  one  should 
be,  indeed,  a  man  of  intellect,  a  man  of  scholarship,  a 
a  man  of  the  world ;  for  the  abbe  is  deep." 

"  Very  deep,"  echoed  Nathalie. 

"  But    you   women  have   tact   and    instinct,"   he 


138  AULNAY  TOWER. 

remarked,  with  his  smile  of  faded  gallantry.  "  Often 
you  intuitively  arrive  at  our  results,  at  the  results 
which  men  reach  through  cold  calculation,  —  that  is 
to  say,  by  means  of  our  intellect.  A  woman's  heart  — " 
He  stopped  a  full  minute ;  his  eyes  looked  wander 
ing.  "Bless  my  soul,  Nathalie  !  What  was  I  talking 
about  ? " 

"  About  man's  intellect  and  woman's  heart,  dear 
uncle." 

"  Yes,  yes  !  A  woman's  heart  has  its  own  method 
of  procedure.  It  is  rapid,  contradictory,  and  essen 
tially  lacks  —  " 

"  Logic,"  said  Madame  de  Vallauris  patiently. 

"  It  lacks  logic,"  continued  the  marquis  with 
urbanity ;  "  and  logic  is  our  strength.  Yet  the  im 
portance  of  this  distinction,  you,  my  dear  child,  can 
but  indistinctly  perceive,  and  the  —  the  —  I  may  well 
say,  the  absolute  monarchy  of  logic  in  human  reason 
ing  a  woman  rarely  or  never  recognizes.  You  follow 
me,  Nathalie  ? " 

Madame  de  Vallauris  laughed.  It  was  seldom 
enough  that  her  young  face  lost  its  extreme  gravity. 
But  who,  with  the  best  will  in  the  world,  can  be 
always  solemn  ?  Sometimes,  when  quite  alone  with 
the  marquis,  he  amused  her  irresistibly,  in  spite  of 


AULNAY  TOWER.  139 

her  patience,  her  deference,  her  constant  effort  to 
adapt  herself  to  his  mood,  so  that  not  the  smallest 
annoyance  through  any  fault  in  her  untiring  watch 
fulness  and  attention  should  trouble  the  old  gentle 
man's  mind. 

The  marquis  looked  surprised. 

"  Was  I  saying  anything  witty,  Nathalie  ? " 

"  Assuredly  not,  dear  uncle." 

"  I  made  use  of  a  serious  term,  I  may  modestly 
say  an  exceedingly  apt  term,  —  the  absolute  monarchy 
of  logic.  I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  conveyed  the 
slightest  suggestion  of  a  pleasantry." 

"  It  was  I,"  Nathalie  said  repentantly.  "  It  sud 
denly  occurred  to  me,  a  woman  refuses  to  acknowl 
edge  absolute  monarchy  because  she  's  a  republican, 
or  even  a  rebel." 

"A  woman  —  yes,"  returned  the  old  gentleman, 
with  an  expression  of  extra-refined  disgust  hovering 
over  his  delicate  features.  "  A  woman,  but  not  a 
Montauban.  You  were  no  doubt  alluding  to  some 
remote  possibility,  to  some  fact  observable  in  the 
lower  strata  of  society,  or  to  something  you  may  have 
read  or  unavoidably  seen  on  your  travels." 

"  To  something  I  have  read  or  seen  on  my  travels," 
said  Nathalie,  now  quite  sobered. 


140  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  marquis  looked  discomposed.  "  T  have  always 
doubted  whether  a  woman  should  travel  much.  But 
that  is  past.  Moreover,  it  was  then  your  duty  to  the 
count.  My  dear,  would  it  not,  however,  be  advisable 
for  you  to  submit  your  reading  to  the  abbe  ? " 

"  I  think  not,  uncle.     Why  ?  "  she  replied  serenely. 

"  Because,  while  I  would  not  for  worlds  wish  to 
restrict  the  choice  of  —  " 

"  Of  a  woman  who  is  no  longer  a  young  girl,"  she 
threw  in  quietly,  —  "of  a  woman  who  was  married 
five  years  ago." 

"To  restrict  your  choice,  at  the  same  time  I  am 
of  the  opinion  that  a  woman  of  delicate  associations, 
a  woman  of  rare  susceptibility  —  " 

"  In  short,  a  Montauban."  She  smiled  at  him 
affectionately. 

"A  Montauban,  and  the  exceeding  few  who  are 
privileged  to  be  classed  with  her,  should  accept  ad 
vice  ;  should  lean  upon  a  stronger  mind  when  she 
enters  so  perilous  a  region  as  a  library." 

As  Madame  de  Vallauris  had  long  since  braved 
all  the  perils  of  her  uncle's  library,  and  found  there 
unspeakable  solace  and  strength,  and  made  close 
friends  of  the  very  volumes  he  would  have  pro 
nounced  her  fatal  foes,  she  could  do  little  at  this 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  141 

moment  but  demurely  reply,  "  If  you  personally  have 
any  wish,  dear  uncle  — " 

"  Say  no  more,  my  dear  Nathalie,"  he  responded 
graciously.  "  Your  docility  reassures  me.  Pardon  my 
fond  fear ;  I  am  happy  to  observe  it  is  unfounded. 
I  have  a  horror  of  indiscriminate  reading  for  a 
woman.  We  men  must  study  the  wickedness  of  the 
world,  must  know  the  weapons  of  our  adversaries. 
Since  they  seek  to  destroy  our  holiest  temples,  our 
most  sacred  rights,  our  established,  God-given  — " 

"  Ah,  dearest  uncle,  why  excite  yourself  ?  Indeed, 
you  are  not  well  enough.  You  have  been  so  wise, 
and  avoided  these  topics  for  so  long,  and  now  your 
face  is  quite  flushed,  and  your  poor  dear  hands 
tremble.  You  will  not  grieve  me  by  being  ill  ? 
Think,  uncle,  whom  would  I  have  to  protect  me  if 
anything  should  happen  to  you?  Dear,  dear  uncle  !" 

He  had  seated  himself  and  fallen  back  in  the 
large  fauteuil,  a  frail,  bowed,  and  broken  old  man. 
Nathalie,  beautiful  in  her  strength  and  youth,  leaned 
over  him,  smoothed  his  hollow  temples  with  her 
fresh  touch,  murmured  her  encouraging  and  tender 
sophistries. 

"  You  are  right,  Nathalie.  Who  would  indeed  take 
care  of  you  ?  But  have  no  fear.  I  am  not  ill,  1  am 


142  AULNAY  TOWER. 

strong,"  he  said  with  dignity,  rising  and  resuming 
his  measured  and  somewhat  spasmodic  walk.  "  Old 
memories/'  —  he  waved  his  withered  hand  airily,  — 
"  old  times,  recurred  to  me.  It  was  but  a  passing 
emotion.  1  am  fully  aware  of  the  duties  which  at 
present  devolve  upon  me  in  my  unusually  responsi 
ble  position.  I  have  to  protect  a  young  and  lovely 
woman,  my  niece,  and  a  spiritual  and  unworldly  man, 
my  friend,  from  annoyance,  possibly  from  danger.  I 
have  to  preserve  the  dignity  of  the  Montaubans." 

"  And  that,  at  least,  can  never  be  difficult  for  you," 
she  exclaimed  cordially. 

"Nathalie,"  —  the  confused,  forgetful  look  crept 
into  his  eyes, — "was  there  not  some  remark  of  yours 
which  I  found  unsympathetic,  uncongenial  ?  Was 
there  not  an  implication  which  even  risked  —  " 

"Ah,  how  well  he  jumped  !  "  She  went  quickly  to 
the  window.  "  Did  you  see,  uncle  ?  It  was  Lieuten 
ant  von  Gerhardt.  There  are  five  of  them  leaping 
the  hedge." 

"  Those  young  men  ride  very  well.  We  had  in  our 
time,  it  may  be,  more  grace,  more  elegance,  a  more 
chevaleresque  bearing.  But  they  ride  well.  They 
ride  well.  The  tall  one  in  blue,  Baron  von  — " 

"  Nordenfels,"  suggested  Nathalie. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  143 

"Baron  von  Nordenfels,  yes.  How  well  you  remem 
ber  all  their  names  !  He  rides  well.  There  he  goes 
now." 

"  He  is  not  there,  uncle." 

"  Ah !  indeed  !  Then  it 's  some  one  else.  But  I 
have  noticed  him.  He  is  a  young  man  of  distinction. 
One  can  converse  with  him.  He  is  not  flippant. 
Have  you  observed  ? " 

"  I  may  have,  uncle." 

"  But,  to  resume,"  he  continued  with  unwonted 
pertinacity.  "  Nathalie,  I  forgot  what  the  remark 
was,  but  I  have  the  distinct  impression  that  as  you 
made  some  allusion  it  occurred  to  me  your  aunt 
would  never  have  thought  of  such  a  thing,  would 
never  have  used  a  word  —  I  forget  it.  I  am  a  little 
distrait  this  morning." 

"  I  am  sure  she  would  never  have  thought  of  any 
thing  that  could  in  the  remotest  way  be  uncongenial 
to  you."  Ah,  how  kind  and  generous  the  young 
voice  sounded ! 

"  She  was  a  good  woman.  I  miss  her,"  said  the 
old  marquis  simply. 

"  I  am  sure  you  do,  dear,  —  always."  She  remem 
bered  how  the  passivity  of  her  gentle  aunt,  her  sure 
and  serene  conventionality,  her  mind,  like  her  chair, 


144  AULNAY   TOWER. 

always  where  it  \fas  expected  to  be,  had  satisfied  his 
highest  ideal  of  womanhood  ;  and  she  realized  that 
when  a  great  gulf  separates  two  natures,  the  sup 
pression  of  one's  opinions,  while  it  makes  the  distance 
less  conspicuous,  by  no  means  bridges  it  across.  She 
longed  to  throw  her  warm,  strong  arms  around  his 
aged  form,  to  beg  him  tear  off  his  mask,  get  down 
from  his  Montauban  stilts,  let  her  help  him,  love 
him,  reach  him.  "I  do  not  love  you  enough,"  she 
thought  remorsefully,  "  but  I  want  to  love  you.  Take 
me  nearer,  and  I  shall  surely  learn.  We  are  all  there 
is  left,  we  two,  and  my  heart  is  full  of  pity  and 
affection  and  understanding  for  you,  —  you  poor, 
forlorn,  self-deceived  old  man  !  " 

But  the  Marquis  de  Montauban  would  have  found 
nothing  in  life  so  undesirable  as  to  be  "  reached." 
Merely  being  reached  after,  bored  him.  If  a  human 
emotion  betrayed  itself  at  rare  moments  in  him,  it 
was  at  least  at  his  volition,  not  that  of  another.  One 
could  allow  one's  self  certain  liberties.  One  knew 
one's  own  delicacy  and  principles  of  self-restraint; 
but  emotions  in  general  were  vulgar,  and  apt  to  lead 
to  distressing  exhibitions. 

Madame  de  Vallauris  therefore  assumed  the  tone 
that  she  knew  would  most  please  him.  "  No  one 


AULNAY  TOWER.  145 

could  ever  be  to  you  what  she  was,"  she  went  on  in 
a  composed  voice  tuned  to  society  pitch. 

"  She  was  perfect,"  responded  the  marquis  with 
lofty  conviction. 

"  But  remember  what  advantages  she  enjoyed  in 
her  intercourse  with  you." 

"  My  influence  was  no  doubt  educating,"  he  ad 
mitted  modestly.  "But  she  availed  herself  of  it. 
She  adapted  herself." 

"  Aunt  had  rare  gifts." 

"  I  was  satisfied  with  her,  Nathalie."  With  his 
phantom-like  gallantry  he  added,  "  I  am  sure,  upon 
reflection,  that  you  could  make  no  remark  which 
would  jar  upon  my  taste." 

"  Be  quite  sure,"  she  returned,  "  that  for  no  consid 
eration  would  I  intentionally,  by  word  or  manner, 
cause  you  one  moment's  annoyance.  Your  wish  is 
my  law,"  she  said  calmly  and  sincerely. 

"  Now  that  reminded  me  of  your  dear  aunt,"  he 
remarked,  well  pleased.  "  But  where  were  we  ?  One 
trait  of  your  charming  sex  is  a  tendency  to  digres 
sion.  That,  one  always  notices  when  one  attempts 
to  converse  with  you  upon  any  serious  topic.  You 
are  not  consecutive ;  but  it  is  by  no  means  a  fault,  in 
my  estimation.  On  the  contrary,  the  light  butterfly 

10 


146  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

motion  of  the  feminine  mind  gives  grace  —  grace  — 
Where  were  we,  Nathalie  ? " 

This  was  a  perplexing  inquiry  to  Madame  de 
Vallauris.  "  We  were  speaking  of  the  abbe,  I  be 
lieve,"  she  answered  after  a  slight  pause,  in  which 
her  graceful,  feminine,  butterfly  mind  did  some  solid 
thinking. 

"  Of  the  good  abbd  in  general,  my  dear  ? "  doubt 
fully. 

"  Of  the  good  abbe*  in  particular.  You  were  about 
to  honor  me  with  some  of  the  abbd's  views,  had 
indeed  begun,  when  you  expressed  a  doubt  of  my 
appreciation  of  him,  and  I  begged  you  to  be  perfectly 
at  rest  on  that  point.  Afterwards  —  I  digressed, 
uncle." 

"  A  proof,  a  proof ! "  exclaimed  the  old  gentleman 
in  laughing  triumph.  "  Ah,  my  dear,  what  did  I  tell 
you  of  the  woman's  heart  and  the  man's  intellect  ? " 

"  Much  that  is  edifying,  and  which  I  shall  not 
forget." 

"But,"  he  continued  in  great  good-humor,  "when 
you  digressed,  Nathalie,  I  was  about  to  admit  that  a 
woman's  perception  of  character  is  often  more  delicate 
than  a  man's.  Therefore  it  would  indeed  be  prepos 
terous  if  with  your  intuition  you  should  in  any  respect 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  147 

fail  in  esteeming  him  according  to  his  merits,  —  merits 
which,  you  understand,  I  merely  repeat  to  point  the 
argument.  I,  as  a  man,  analyze  and  prove ;  you,  as 
a  woman,  feel." 

"  It  would  be  quite  incredible,  dear  uncle.  And 
the  abbe*  said —  Tell  me  what  he  said,  and  I 
will  try  to  make  the  movements  of  my  mind  more 
sequacious." 

«  The  abb<3  said  —  " 

"  He  was  alluding  to  my  conduct,  you  remember." 

"  Perfectly.  The  abbe*  said  your  conduct  was  most 
exquisite.  He  merely  wished  my  opinion.  I  have 
great  influence  upon  the  judgment  of  the  abbe*  in 
worldly  matters.  He  depends  upon  me  —  Did  you 
speak,  my  dear  ?  " 

She  had  uttered  a  little  indistinct  sound,  something 
between  a  groan  and  a  quick  note  of  scorn,  the  invol 
untary  cry  of  her  overcharged  heart,  pushed  almost 
beyond  the  limits  of  its  forbearance. 

"  I  have  dropped  my  shawl,"  she  answered,  stooping. 

"  Permit  me,"  he  returned,  arranging  it  with  stiff 
and  feeble  hands  and  circumstantial  courtesy. 

"  He  depends  upon  my  judgment,  as  is  natural  — 
quite.  And  he  modestly  inquired  if  I  did  or  did  not 
think  that  now,  after  this  long  trial,  in  which  your 


148  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

dignity  of  bearing  has  been  incomparable,  you  could 
with  perfect  discretion  and  grace  deign  to  be  a  little 
more  affable  ?  Perhaps  to  follow,  in  a  certain  sense, 
my  example  as  head  of  the  house  ?  " 

"  He  suggested  that  I  should  follow  your  exam 
ple  ?  "  she  asked  with  dangerous  quiet. 

"  Suggested  ?  Far  from  it.  As  I  say,  he  merely  in 
timated  his  desire  to  acquaint  himself  with  my  views. 
It  was  a  purely  intellectual  question,  a  casual  discus 
sion  between  the  abbe*  and  me." 

"  Ah ! "  said  the  countess,  with  a  deep,  long-drawn 
breath. 

"  The  situation  is  peculiar.  It  is  unique.  There  is 
Paris.  You  know  my  views  as  to  the  present  Paris. 
I  will  not  agitate  you  by  recapitulating.  I  simply  do 
not  recognize  Paris.  Paris  is  for  me  a  travesty,  a 
mummery  or  less.  Let  us  say  less.  Paris  is  for  me 
—  air.  Take  pains  to  follow,  Nathalie.  I  do  not 
say  my  Paris.  The  Paris  of  my  youth,  of  my  ances 
tors,  the  Paris  of  the  Bourbons,  the  Paris  of  history, 
the  pride  of  all  civilized  nations,  the  glory  of  the 
world,  that.  Paris  exists,  will  always  exist  for  us.  But 
this  Paris,  with  its  degradation,  its  unsavory  odors  of 
the  mob,  its  unholy  aims,  its  irreverence  and  revolu 
tionary  taint  —  " 


AULNAY  TOWER.  149 

"  Poor,  misled,  struggling  Paris  ! "  murmured  the 
countess. 

"  Struggling,  —  did  you  say  struggling,  Nathalie  ? 
You  read  that  word  in  a  newspaper,  of  course  ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,  dear  uncle,  I  read  it  in  a  newspaper." 

"  Ah,  these  newspapers  !  But  let  us  resume.  On 
the  one  hand  is  this  unconscionable  Paris,  which  will 
nevertheless  without  doubt  hold  its  own  —  " 

"  Does  he  really  believe  that  ? "  she  demanded  im 
petuously. 

"  He  ?  Who  ?  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand.  Is 
my  endeavor  to  instruct  you  inopportune,  or  —  " 

"  Ah,  no,  no,  dear  uncle !  Pardon,  and  pray  con 
tinue." 

"  On  the  one  hand,  then,  this  Paris,  which  cannot 
claim  the  sympathy  of  a  Montauban  —  indeed,  I  can 
only  treat  Paris  with  silent  contempt.  On  the  other 
hand,  Germany,  with  which  I  must  own  I  have  in 
general  small  sympathy.  It  is  a  rude  nation,  I  have 
heard.  These  gentlemen,  it  is  true,  take  pains  to  pre 
sent  themselves  at  their  best.  They  have  done  fairly 
well.  They  have  a  tolerable  idea  of  civility.  I  re 
gard  them  in  a  certain  sense  as  my  guests." 

"  Oh,  uncle  !  " 

"  And  therefore  I  endeavor  to  mingle  dignity  and 


150  AULNAY  TOWER. 

condescension  in  my  treatment  of  them.  I  should  be 
sorry,  Nathalie,  if  you  could  not  follow  me.  My  cha 
teau,  I  regret  to  observe,  has  grown  very  shabby  with 
the  coming  and  going  of  orderlies  and  the  free  uses  to 
which  it  has  been  subjected.  The  stair-carpet  is  pain 
fully  threadbare.  Look  at  the  lawns,  the  court-yard. 
Where  are  my  horses  ?  Where  are  my  servants  ? 
And  my  wine  and  silver  literally  sub  rosa,  —  being 
buried  under  my  rose-bushes.  My  larder  is  empty. 
Potatoes  and  rice  are,  I  believe,  still  there.  Otherwise, 
for  food  we  depend  upon  our  guests,  do  we  not  ? " 

"  Yes,  uncle,"  Nathalie  answered  huskily. 

"  But,  as  the  abbe*  frequently  remarks,  it  cannot 
last  forever.  The  Germans  will  retreat.  We  shall 
rehabilitate  ourselves.  In  the  mean  time,  with  dig 
nity,  with  philosophy  —  You  follow,  Nathalie  ?  " 

"  Perfectly,  dear  uncle." 

"  We  impress  the  strangers ;  we  command  the  situa 
tion.  Noblesse  oblige.  Therefore  I  would  beg  you  to 
permit  the  conversation  to  flow  more  fully  in  your 
presence.  Make  your  salon  evenings,  my  dear.  It 
will  be  beneficial  to  those  young  Germans,  and  in 
no  wise  compromise  you.  Never  imagine  I  have  not 
found  your  manner  up  to  this  time  beyond  criticism. 
A  certain  hauteur  sits  well  on  a  Montaubaii  —  and 


AULNAY  TOWER.  151 

there  were  many  strange  men  here,  I  admit.  But,  as 
the  abbe*  justly  remarks,  I,  the  head  of  the  house,  am 
always  present.  We  know,  too,  the  characters  of  our 
uninvited  guests.  Evenings,  there  are  but  few  at  once 
in  our  drawing-rooms.  Why  not  lend  to  what  is 
enforced  an  aspect  of  social  pleasure  ?  Why  not  en 
courage  those  stiff  young  Germans  to  an  unreserved 
expression  of  their  sentiments,  their  plans,  their  ac 
tions  ?  Why  not  use  your  prerogative  as  a  charming 
woman  to  draw  them  out,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
learn  of  them -something  of  their  politics,  their  war- 
designs,  their  daily  practices  ? " 

"  Uncle ! "  exclaimed  Nathalie,  with  a  startled 
and  suspicious  look.  But  no  —  the  old  gentleman 
was  innocent.  Pleased  with  his  eloquence,  he  me 
andered  placidly  on,  not  so  much  as  noticing  her 
interruption,  repeating  with  parrot-like  assurance 
all  his  inoculated  wisdom ;  and  as  he  spoke  in 
his  measured  accent,  his  manner  encased  in  an  in 
destructible  veneer,  Madame  de  Vallauris  perceived 
in  it  all  the  terrible  and  gentle  omnipresence  of 
the  abbe. 

"  I  would  not,  of  course,  advise  intimacy.  Pardon 
the  word,  my  dear,"  he  said  airily.  "  It  escaped  me 
unawares.  You  do  not  indeed  need  any  warning 


152  AULNAY  TOWER. 

in  that  respect.  I  would  merely  suggest  that  we 
create,  evenings,  so  to  speak,  an  atmosphere." 

"  An  atmosphere  ? "  repeated  Nathalie. 

"Yes,  my  dear.  The  word  is  good.  Not  the  at 
mosphere  of  a  Hotel  de  Rambouillet,  but  the  atmos 
phere  of  a  Montauban,  —  in  distress,  dignified,  serene, 
triumphant." 

"  Good  heavens  ! "  ejaculated  Nathalie  in  conster 
nation. 

"  I  do  not  wonder  at  your  surprise,  my  dear.  I  too 
was  somewhat  impressed  with  the  novelty  of  the 
scheme  when  the  abbe*  — that  is  to  say,  when  we.  the 
abbe*  and  I,  happened  to  stray  in  that  direction." 

"  Would  all  this  make  you  happier,  dear  uncle  ? " 

"  It  would  at  least  seem  appropriate." 

"  Manette's  word,"  thought  the  countess. 

"It  would  ennoble  our  powerlessness,"  admitted 
the  marquis.  In  his  look,  in  spite  of  his  grandeur, 
was  a  veiled  entreaty.  She  met  it  gallantly. 

"  Dear  uncle,  are  you  not  monarch  here  ?  Do  we 
care  if  German  lieutenants  leap  over  our  hedges  ? 
What  my  heart  can  do  for  your  comfort  you  may  be 
sure  of.  My  head,  as  you  have  mentioned,  is  little 
worth." 

"It  is  enough — enough,  my  dear,  for  a  woman," 


AULNAY  TOWER.  153 

said   the   marquis   encouragingly,   condescending   to 
pat  her  hand. 

"Now,  there  is  von  Gerhardt,"  he  announced 
with  the  exactness  of  a  well-learned  lesson,  —  "a 
good  rider,  a  susceptible,  expansive,  vain,  voluble 
man,  —  how  instructive  he  might  be  made  ! " 

"I  should  never  have  thought  von  Gerhardt  in 
structive,"  she  said  meekly.  "  I  should  have  chosen 
another  adjective  for  him." 

"That  is  immaterial,"  continued  the  marquis. 
"Let  us  consider  the  colonel, — bluff,  hearty,  admira 
bly  informed,  a  talker.  What  racy  ideas  could  he 
set  afloat  in  the  atmosphere  of  our  salon !  Then  a 
man  of  that  positive  temperament  is  sometimes  most 
easily  influenced  by  a  woman." 

"  Indeed ! "  said  the  countess,  raising  her  eye 
brows. 

"  Consider,  too,  that  tall  and  dignified  young  man 
with  the  graceful  manner.  He  wears  a  blue  uniform. 
You  remember  him,  surely  ? " 

"  Von  Nordenfels,"  Nathalie  said  softly. 

"  Ah,  yes,  that 's  the  name,  —  a  man  with  private 
despatches  to  carry  about ;  a  man  selected  on  account 
of  personal  valor  and  cleverness  for  important  service ; 
a  man  of  a  certain  softness  beneath  his  cold  exterior. 


154  AULNAY  TOWER. 

I  observed  you  talking  very  amiably  with  him  last 
night.  That  was  promising ;  that  was  well." 

"  He  did  not  dare "  —  began  the  countess  pas 
sionately. 

"  He  did  not  dare  anything  beyond  his  orders,  so 
far  as  I  know,"  said  the  marquis  with  facetious- 
ness.  "  I  would  merely  suggest  he  is  a  favorite  with 
his  superiors,  a  marked  man  for  his  years,  and 
in  our  international  salon  might  be  an  attractive 
problem.  It  would  in  fact  gratify  me,  my  dear,  if,  in 
consideration  of  all  that  I  have  said,  you  would  do 
me  the  favor  to  unbend  in  moderation  towards  the 
stranger-element,  temporarily  through  a  caprice  of 
fate  under  iny  roof.  If  I  permit  a  certain  relaxation 
in  your  manner ;  if  I,  the  head  of  the  house,  am  on 
the  spot  to  protect,  to  support,  —  what  more  can  you 
desire  ? " 

"What,  indeed?" 

"  Then  all  is  said.  I  shall  depend  upon  you,  — 
a  discreet  warmth ;  an  encouraging  atmosphere. 
Thanks  for  your  attention.  I  hope  the  effort  has  not 
fatigued  you,  my  dear.  I  think  I  will  go  out  and 
look  at  those  young  men.  They  are  not  jumping 
badly,  upon  my  honor." 

"  Do  go,  dear  uncle.    It  will  interest  you,"  she  said 


AULNAY  TOWER.  155 

kindly.  "It  is  mild  in  the  sunshine,  and  you  so 
rarely  go  out  nowadays.  It  will  do  you  good." 

"  Thanks,  my  dear  Nathalie ;  thanks.  I  will  stroll 
out  and  encourage  those  young  men." 

Airily  making  his  adieus,  he  with  difficulty  walked 
out  into  the  court. 

"  Oh,  how  he  is  failing,  body  and  mind  !  When 
I  remember  what  he  once  was,  and  then  this  con 
versation  ! "  Tears  filled  her  eyes.  She  felt  in 
expressibly  helpless  and  lonely.  A  slight  noise 
at  the  door  made  her  turn.  It  was  the  Abbe  de 
JSTavailles  whose  intellectual  and  benign  presence 
now  appeared. 

"  Ah,  madame,"  he  said  in  gentle  greeting,  "  I  am 
fortunate  to  find  you  here.  Pierre  has  sprained  his 
foot,  and  I  have  given  Antoine  my  last  bandage  for 
him.  Perhaps  you  — 

"  M.  l'Abb6  de  Navailles,"  facing  him  and  speaking 
very  rapidly,  "will  you  have  the  extreme  kindness 
to  remember  that  I  am  not  your  tool  ? " 

"Madame  ?"  in  mild  interrogation. 

"Will  you  also  remember  that  my  manner,  my 
conduct,  my  words  and  ways,  are  my  purely  personal 
attributes,  which  no  mortal  may  presume  to  deter 
mine  or  direct  ? " 


156  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  Madame  ? "  he  repeated,  as  if  questioning  whether 
he  heard  aright. 

"  Will  you  furthermore  have  the  goodness  to  bear 
in  mind  that  while  I  esteem  nothing  a  sacrifice  which 
may  minister  to  my  uncle's  comfort,  should  my  scheme 
for  his  happiness  differ  diametrically  from  another's, 
I  am  quite  capable  of  finding  my  own  the  wiser  and 
better,  and  of  following  it  persistently,  regardless  of 
consequences  ? " 

The  gentle  incredulity  on  the  abbd's  face  merged 
slowly  into  equally  gentle  reflection.  "  That  is  all  ? " 
he  said  at  length. 

"That  is  all,"  answered  the  countess,  looking  at 
him  with  unconcealed  defiance,  then  turning  to  go. 

"One  moment,  madame,"  his  soft  voice  begged. 
She  waited,  watching  him  mistrustfully.  "  The  bur 
den  of  the  three  —  I  presume  I  may  say  warnings 
with  which  you  with  admirable  frankness  have 
honored  me,  is  one  and  the  same.  To  its  some 
what  unflattering  implication  I  refrain  from  replying 
directly." 

"As  usual,"  the  slight  droop  of  her  eyelids  and 
her  satirical  mouth  responded  plainly  enough. 

Unruffled  and  sweet-tempered  as  it  was  possible 
for  a  man  to  be,  he  continued:  "I  would  merely 


AULNAY  TOWER.  157 

suggest  to  your  sense  of  justice  —  and  I  have  never 
met  a  woman  who  makes  more  honest  and  successful 
effort  to  be  just  than  you,  or  one  who  holds  stricter 
accounts  with  herself,  —  I  would  simply  suggest  one 
question,  madame.  In  your  excited  and  sensitive 
frame  of  mind  —  " 

Her  look  confronted  him  in  haughty  challenge. 

"  Most  natural  under  existing  circumstances,"  the 
placid  voice  went  on,  "  when  there  is  no  repose  by 
day  or  night,  and  every  spirit  lives  in  perpetual  up 
roar  and  distressing  uncertainty,  might  it  not  be 
possible  for  your  imagination  to  exaggerate  or  dis 
tort  harmless  facts,  and  particularly  to  misinterpret 
the  amiable  conversation  of  your  uncle  the  marquis  ? 
Charming  and  interesting  as  he  continues  to  be,  we 
who  know  him  best  and  love  him  most  must  some 
times  hold  our  breath,  observing  how  his  age  tells 
upon  him  in  these  latter  days." 

Sincerity,  unwavering  affection  for  the  marquis, 
sounded  in  every  tone  of  his  voice.  The  manly 
dignity  of  his  character,  softened  by  perceptible  ten 
derness,  in  spite  of  her  brusque  attack  displayed 
no  retaliation.  No  heat  obscured  his  calm  mental 
vision.  Intellectually  her  superior,  he  stood  before 
her,  and  she  acknowledged,  now  as  always,  that  she 


158  AULNAY  TOWER. 

had  no  proofs  against  him.  What  he  said  was 
true.  Her  poor  uncle  might  easily  convey  a  false 
impression.  And  she  herself,  —  could  she  ever  be 
sure  that  her  old  prejudice  against  the  abbe  did  not 
blind  her  judgment  even  when  he  was  innocent  ? 
Whom  indeed  could  she  trust  ?  On  whom  could 
she  lean  ?  Her  uncle  was  too  frail  and  old  to  hear 
an  unguarded  word.  However  well  grounded  her 
charges  against  the  abbe  seemed,  however  indig 
nantly  she  confronted  him,  she  could  not  gainsay 
the  tranquillity  and  fairness,  not  of  his  open  de 
fence,  for  he  never  actually  defended  himself,  but 
of  his  tacit  refutation.  She  looked  at  him  now  bit 
terly.  "The  man  makes  me  doubt  my  own  in 
stincts,"  she  thought.  "  'The  man's  head,  the  woman's 
heart,'  as  poor  uncle  fondly  says.  But  if  the  woman 
has  only  her  intuitions,  and  they  desert  her,  what 
will  she  do  then  ?  I  wish  to  be  just.  I  wish  to  be 
tolerant.  I  do  not  intend  to  be  deceived.  My  in 
stinct  warns  me.  My  head  acquits  him.  But  why 
does  he  wish  me  to  be  friendly  with  the  men  he 
hates  ? " 

"  Could  there  not  be  some  error  ? "  he  asked  quietly, 
as  if  reading  her  thoughts  and  responding. 

"There  can  always  be  some  error,"  she  answered. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  159 

"  Take  care  you  make  none  from  overmuch  wisdom. 
And,  that  we  understand  each  other  once  for  all, 
whatever  plan  you  design  for  the  edification  of  our 
house,  if  it  includes  me,  should  be  communicated 
directly  to  me." 

"  Undoubtedly,  madame,"  he  said,  smiling  as  if  at 
the  perverseness  of  a  child.  "And  the  bandages?" 
reverting  to  his  first  theme  with  solicitude. 

"  Pierre  seems  to  sprain  his  foot  curiously  often," 
she  said  abruptly. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "Yes,  he  may  be  a 
little  awkward." 

She  looked  at  him  troubled,  doubtful,  uncertain 
of  him,  of  herself.  His  face  bore  her  scrutiny  with 
out  effort.  His  simplicity  was  admirable.  But  as 
she  found  herself  weighing  and  measuring,  now  con 
demning,  now  acquitting  him,  yet  questioning  what 
those  clear  eyes  meant  to  conceal  and  what  that  fine 
mouth  desired  to  express,  the  thought  of  a  face  whose 
every  line  she  knew  rose  up  in  contrast,  and  she  re 
membered  with  a  great  sense  of  security  and  peace 
the  tone  of  the  stranger's  voice. 

"  Manette  shall  bring  you  some  bandages,"  she 
said,  and  went  away  smiling  softly,  as  if  with  happy 
thoughts.  The  abbe  smiled  too,  but  differently. 


160  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"She  is  very  young,  after  all,"  he  reflected.  "All 
the  better." 

The  only  result  of  the  marquis's  eloquence  was 
that  Madame  de  Vallauris,  far  from  exercising  her 
charms  evenings  with  the  deliberate  purpose  of  draw 
ing  out  the  Germans,  was  seized  opportunely  with 
a  slight  indisposition,  which  confined  her  some  days 
to  her  room.  The  marquis,  who  had  never  known 
her  to  have  a  moment's  illness,  was  frantic  with 
anxiety.  This  caused  her  conscience  severe  re 
proaches,  and  induced  her  to  reappear  sooner  than 
she  had  designed.  It  was  singular  how  empty  the 
rooms  seemed  without  that  one  quiet  figure  in  black, 
and  how  dull  all  conversation  was  without  the  voice 
that  was  but  rarely  heard.  Von  Nordenfels  stalked 
in  every  evening ;  looked  round  gravely  and  stalked 
out  again,  the  abbe's  eyes  not  being  the  depths  in 
which  he  longed  to  gaze. 

When  Madame  de  Vallauris  came  down  again  there 
was  unfeigned  rejoicing,  and  the  marquis  had  quite 
forgotten  his  salon  scheme. 

"You  were  cruel,  madame/'  whispered  the  abbe", 
with  his  indulgent  smile. 

"  Only  to  be  kind,"  she  returned  gravely. 

ISTordenfels,  whose  bureau-work  had  monopolized 


AULNAY  TOWER.  161 

him  every  night  of  her  absence,  had  now  apparently 
no  more  arduous  duty  than  to  keep  silent  guard  in 
the  room  where  she  was  leaning  quietly  back  in  a  low 
chair,  half  shaded  by  the  draperies  of  an  alcove  win 
dow.  It  was  of  no  use  attempting  to  talk  with  her. 
The  Lady  discouraged  them  all,  except  Forstenau,  with 
her  monosyllabic  indifference. 

"  Horses  can  surely  compromise  no  one,"  she 
thought,  watching  the  abbe  under  her  half-closed 
lids. 

Von  Nordenfels  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  why  he 
was  relegated  to  the  first  hostile  conditions  of  their 
acquaintance.  Surely  she  had  been  friendly,  not  only 
in  the  cottage,  but  since  at  the  chateau ;  her  eyes  had 
met  his  frankly,  and  with  the  lingering  question  he 
had  learned  to  read  in  them.  Now  Gerhardt,  Wedell, 
and  the  chandelier,  at  which,  her  head  thrown 
back,  she  frequently  stared,  could  claim  as  much 
attention  as  he.  He  refused  to  call  her  capricious ; 
but  not  feeling  in  a  sufficiently  careless  mood  to  enact 
the  r81e  of  social  supernumerary,  rose  suddenly,  made 
his  adieus  with  some  stiffness,  and  left  the  room. 
The  countess,  as  before,  continued  to  listen  languidly 
to  Forstenau  and  to  stare  at  the  chandelier. 

11 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  autumn  sun  was  shining  one  morning  with 
unusual  warmth  upon  the  besieged  city  and  its  en 
virons,  where  a  great  stillness  prevailed,  broken  now 
and  then  by  the  muffled  tone  of  a  distant  cannon  from 
the  resisting  forts.  On  every  highway  and  along  the 
narrow  riding-paths,  marked  by  poles,  indicating  for 
the  orderlies  the  most  direct  line  possible  from  head 
quarters  to  headquarters,  were  single  cavaliers  and 
groups  of  horsemen,  officers  and  orderlies,  all  rid 
ing  towards  Vert  Galant  on  the  Metz  road.  They 
were  for  the  most  part  strong  and  sun- browned  faces, 
and  powerful  figures  sitting  firm  in  their  saddles. 
Their  uniforms  would  scarcely  have  enhanced  the 
effect  of  a  drawing-room ;  for,  like  their  wearers,  they 
bore  traces  of  wind  and  weather  and  many  a  hard 
night  of  bivouac.  A  sash  over  the  shoulder  and  the 
black  leather  bag  at  the  belt  distinguished  the  officers 
acting  as  adjutants.  The  horses  were  in  a  tolerable 
condition,  many  of  them  having  been  "  requisitioned  " 


AULNAY  TOWER.  163 

to  fill  the  very  considerable  gaps  made,  not  only  by 
the  enemy's  shots,  but  by  the  over-fatigue  and  in 
sufficient  fodder  on  the  unusually  long  marches. 

It  was  evidently  some  weighty  reason  which  had 
induced  the  commander  of  the  corps  to  order  all  the 
adjutants,  with  the  exception  of  those  occupied  with 
the  troops  on  forepost  duty,  to  report  at  Yert  Galant. 

The  country-house  where  the  prince  had  established 
his  headquarters  displayed  a  stately  facade,  and  was 
still  in  most  respects  well  preserved.  A  large  garden 
with  an  iron  railing  lay  between  the  house  and  the 
broad  street.  Gradually  groups  of  officers  gathered 
here  in  highly  animated  discussion.  The  entrance- 
door  on  the  left  showed  the  carriages  of  the  staff  in 
admirable  condition.  The  gardener's  lodge  on  the 
right  was  transformed  into  a  guard-house.  Before 
it  stood  the  watch,  observing  with  close  attention 
a  group  of  prisoners  who  had  just  been  brought  in 
from  the  foreposts.  They  were  from  various  infantry 
regiments,  a  few  from  the  Garde  Mobile,  and  some 
Tirailleurs  de  la  Seine.  A  staff-officer  was  noting  the 
numbers  of  their  regiments,  and  endeavoring  by  severe 
cross-examination  to  ascertain  as  much  as  possible 
of  their  combinations,  strength,  and  position.  After 
the  men  had  had  some  rest  and  food,  they  were 


164  AULNAY  TOWER. 

re-questioned  rigorously.  Already  there  were  flying 
rumors  that  Paris  was  destitute  of  provision. 

On  a  bench  by  the  guard-house  sat  some  lightly 
wounded  prisoners  whom  two  surgeons  were  ban 
daging,  while  a  young  officer  extended  his  pocket- 
flask  with  an  encouraging  word  to  one  and  another 
of  the  unfortunates. 

Through  the  broadly  open  windows  on  the  ground- 
floor  of  the  pleasant  house  a  breakfast-table,  if  seen 
at  a  sufficient  distance,  suggested  by  association  an 
indefinite  vista  of  family  life  and  tranquil  joys; 
but  approaching,  the  remains  of  the  extremely  sub 
stantial  but  by  no  means  luxurious  repast,  and  the 
unmistakable  mannish  appointments,  showed  plainly 
enough  this  had  no  likeness  to  the  morning  rites  of 
a  cheery  home.  A  group  of  civilians  attached  to  the 
Saxon  headquarters  sat  there  still,  leisurely  sipping 
a  glass  of  claret,  among  them  some  Knights  of  St. 
John,  serving  under  the  red  cross,  two  distinguished 
surgeons  who  had  left  their  professor's  chairs  of  Leip 
zig  University  to  give  their  services  during  the  cam 
paign,  and  the  correspondents  of  the  London  "Times" 
and  "  Daily  News." 

Upon  the  mantel-piece,  piled  in  perilous  irregu 
larity  nearly  to  the  ceiling,  were  boxes  of  cigars,  —  the 


AULNAY   TOWER.  165 

so-called  "  love's  offerings  "  sent  generally  with  the 
friendliest  intentions  by  some  benevolent  association, 
but  rarely  redolent  of  the  choicest  Havana.  Many 
rapid  writers  were  working  at  their  best  speed  in  a 
room  on  the  right,  where  a  printing-press  was  also 
preparing  the  orders,  and  a  young  officer  at  a  side 
table  was  sketching  on  a  large  scale  a  plan  of  the 
last  reported  French  defences  along  the  Saxon  line. 

The  field  post,  that  blessed  messenger  between  the 
army  and  the  fatherland,  was  busily  at  work  in  an 
adjacent  building.  Two  mountains  of  letters  rose 
conspicuously,  —  on  one  side  those  received,  on  the 
other  those  about  to  be  sent.  What  anxiety,  impa 
tience,  auger,  and  sorrow,  what  sighs  of  love  and 
longing,  were  imprisoned  in  those  paper  mounds  ! 

The  great  hall  clock,  with  its  slow,  impressive  voice 
marking  in  peace  or  war  the  fatal  flight  of  time,  now 
struck  three. 

The  issue  of  orders  had  been  appointed  for  two,  and 
Vert  Galant  had  waited  already  a  whole  hour  for  the 
coming  of  the  adjutant  who  should  bring  the  order 
from  Grand  Tremblay,  the  headquarters  of  the  Maas 
Army.  A  certain  restlessness  began  to  be  noticeable 
among  the  officers.  Some  of  them,  in  a  truly  femi 
nine  and  childlike  manner,  went  frequently  to  the 


166  AULNAY  TOWER. 

entrance  gate,  and  eagerly  scanned  the  road  upon 
which  the  longed-for  adjutant  was  expected  to  appear. 
Others  smoked,  and  assumed  a  stolidity  they  by  no 
means  felt. 

The  corps  commander,  too,  had  left  his  room  in  the 
first  story,  and  coming  out  into  the  garden  by  a  side 
door,  was  now  walking  up  and  down  on  the  west  side 
of  the  house  in  the  alley  which  extended  towards 
the  Bois  de  St.  Denis.  Every  inch  a  prince,  he  was 
an  elegant,  still  youthful-looking  man,  rather  above 
the  middle  height.  On  his  right,  still  taller  than 
he,  strode  the  powerful  and  noble  form  of  General 
von  Aarenhorst,  who  had  come  over  from  the  chateau 
at  Clichy  to  discuss  some  important  points  with  his 
commanding  general.  On  the  left  of  the  prince  was 
the  chief  of  the  staff,  a  short,  thick  figure,  in  a 
somewhat  neglected  uniform.  As  he  walked,  he 
talked  volubly,  with  free  gesticulation  and  rapidly 
varying  expression  of  his  intellectual  face.  Close 
on  the  heels  of  the  prince  followed  a  magnificent 
hunting-dog  of  purest  breed.  He  had  lost  his  French 
master  and  strayed  to  Vert  Galant,  where  with  an 
aut-  Ccesar-aut-mhil  instinct  he  had  attached  him 
self  at  once  to  the  prince  in  preference  to  all  others. 
A  single  French  word  oi  praise  or  petting  delighted 


AULNAY  TOWER.  167 

the  beautiful  animal  excessively,  although  his  progress 
in  the  German  language  was  already  commendable. 

Presently,  not  by  the  Metz  road  as  was  expected, 
but  by  the  narrow  path  along  the  Ourcq  Canal  and 
through  the  garden  gate  in  the  rear,  came  the  corps 
adjutant  in  full  gallop.  His  brave  bay  was  covered 
with  foam,  for  upon  him  had  fallen  the  responsibility 
of  making  good  as  far  as  possible  the  time  lost  by 
human  blundering  and  delay  in  issuing  the  orders. 
As  the  adjutant  passed  the  dining-room  window,  one 
of  the  St.  John  knights  reached  out  a  brimming  glass 
of  good  red  wine,  which  the  thirsty  man,  without 
stopping,  swallowed  at  one  gulp  as  he  hastened  on  to 
the  prince.  The  crowd  of  waiting  adjutants  streamed 
into  the  bureau.  A  staff-officer,  after  announcing  the 
corps  time,  by  which  every  adjutant  set  his  watch, 
read  rapidly  and  distinctly  the  despatches  from  head 
quarters.  Sitting,  standing,  using  the  shoulders  of  the 
man  in  front  as  desk,  they  wrote  at  the  officer's  dicta 
tion.  Suddenly,  in  their  immediate  neighborhood 
they  heard  the  sound  of  repeated  gunshots.  They 
started  and  listened,  with  some  excitement.  "  Don't 
be  disturbed,  gentlemen,"  remarked  the  dictating  staff- 
officer.  "  It  is  only  the  orderlies  shooting  the  last 
pheasants  of  the  park  for  our  dinner." 


168  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  final  detail  of  the  instructions  ordered  a  dis 
location  of  the  Saxon  corps,  Aulnay  to  be  evacuated 
and  occupied  immediately  by  the  second  division  of 
the  Prussian  Guard.  Von  Nordenfels'  pencil  was 
curiously  unsteady  as  he  wrote  this  order. 

The  delivery  of  the  details  was  completed.  The 
adjutants  sprang  to  their  horses,  for  some  time  im 
patiently  stamping  in  the  court,  and  galloped  in  small 
groups  towards  the  entrance,  where,  to  their  dissatis 
faction,  they  were  summarily  forced  to  halt.  A  long 
provision  column,  bringing  supplies  from  Claye,  was 
passing  the  closed  gates  of  Vert  Galant.  Strong 
horses,  percherons,  from  the  northeast  of  France,  on 
the  Belgian  boundaries,  were  harnessed  by  threes  and 
fours  to  the  heavily  laden  wagons.  French  wagoners 
in  their  blue  blouses  and  baggy  trousers  walked  at 
the  side.  They  held  their  reins  and  long  whips  list 
lessly,  not  once  giving  their  peculiar  cheery  call  to 
their  horses,  or  their  loud  and  jovial  whip-cracking. 
Silent  and  gloomy  they  stalked  on,  every  two  of  them 
guarded  by  a  well-armed  man. 

As  the  last  wagon  went  heavily  by  the  gate,  out 
flew  the  pent-up  adjutants  towards  all  points  of 
the  compass.  Along  the  highways  and  field  paths, 
by  wood  and  stream  and  meadow,  the  fleet  hoofs 


AULNAY  TOWER.  169 

galloped  through  the  still  country,  carrying  the  im 
portant  news  in  every  direction. 

It  was  late  in  the  day  when  von  Nordenfels  rode 
into  Aulnay  with  his  despatches,  the  necessity  of 
which  arose  from  the  following  facts. 

The  French  army  was  now  reconstructed,  the 
armies  of  the  Seine  and  the  Loire  had  united  in  the 
south,  where,  in  consequence,  the  Bavarian  general, 
Von  der  Tann,  with  a  large  body  of  troops,  had  been 
ordered.  This  weakened  in  no  small  degree  the 
besieging  girdle,  and  dislocations  were  imperative  to 
cover,  so  far  as  possible,  the  threatened  points.  Active 
measures  and  changes  of  quarters,  however  admirable 
as  military  tactics,  were  nevertheless  far  from  per 
sonally  agreeable  to  the  officers  stationed  at  Aulnay. 
They  were  loud  in  their  expressions  of  regret,  and 
the  dismay  of  the  marquis  was  grievous  to  behold. 

"  Bless  my  soul,  gentlemen !  Can  nothing  be 
done?"  he  asked  in  stammering  accents  strikingly 
at  variance  with  his  usual  lofty  placidity  towards 
the  Germans. 

"  Nothing,  I  fear,"  returned  the  colonel,  smiling. 

"  But  how  do  I  know  what  the  officers  of  the  Prus 
sian  Guard  will  be  like  ? "  demanded  the  perturbed 
old  gentleman. 


170  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"You  can  judge  for  yourself  to-morrow  morning, 
marquis." 

"They  are  a  bad  lot,"  Gerhardt  took  occasion  to 
confide  to  the  marquis.  "  We  are  bad  enough,  but 
they  are  incalculably  worse.  We  have  injured  your 
beautiful  chateau,  but  they  would  have  demolished  it 
entirely.  A  Prussian?  Why,  a  Prussian  is  a  kind  of 
impossible  being  with  a  double-barrelled  thinking  ap 
paratus,  not  an  atom  of  heart,  and  truly  distinguished 
manners." 

"Distinguished  manners  are  all  one  really  requires 
for  most  situations  in  life,"  remarked  the  marquis 
affably,  feeling  much  comforted. 

"  Here,  Nordenfels,  you  are  a  half  Prussian  yourself; 
come  and  tell  the  marquis  to  what  species  of  monster 
the  Prussian  belongs." 

The  adjutant  had  hurriedly  entered  the  room, 
looked  around,  and  was  about  to  return  to  the  bureau. 

"If  they  are  all  like  Herr  von  Nordenfels,  they 
will  let  my  poor  old  chateau,  like  a  faded  belle,  con 
sole  itself  with  the  remains  of  its  beauty."  And  the 
marquis,  pleased  with  his  eloquence,  raised  his  hand 
kerchief  to  his  smiling  lips  and  gently  inhaled  the 
invigorating  fumes  of  eau-d'Houbigant. 

"We won't  praise  them  too  much,"  von  Nordenfels 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  171 

said,  looking  in  his  cordial,  respectful  way  at  the 
marquis.  "  We  prefer  you  should  think  us  their  su 
periors.  But,  believe  me,  they  will  attach  themselves 
to  the  chateau  and  be  sorry  to  leave  when  their  turn 
comes,  as  we  are  ;  arid  you  will  find  some  good  heads 
for  cards  among  them.  So  much,  justice  compels  me 
to  say  for  iny  rivals." 

"  Well,  well,"  returned  the  marquis  with  cheerful 
condescension,  "  a  man  of  my  age  and  my  experience 
must  consent  to  take  things  as  they  come.  That  is 
true  wisdom,  gentlemen." 

"  I  can  take  most  things,"  muttered  von  Gerhardt 
in  a  stage  aside,  "but  I  can't  take  a  Prussian.  He 
never  agrees  with  me.  He  sticks  in  my  throat  like 
a  five-pronged  fish-bone." 

"  You  remarked  ? "  began  the  marquis  civilly. 

"A  technical  observation  to  my  comrade  here," 
Gerhardt  hastened  to  explain  with  importance. 
"  We  are  necessarily  uncommonly  busy  this  evening. 
Strategic  problems,  vast  responsibilities  — "  And 
the  dandy  lieutenant  bowed  himself  away. 

"Are  you  too  busy  for  a  parting  game  of  chess, 
Herr  von  Nordenfels  ? " 

"I  fear  that  I  am.  At  least,  I  have  some  pressing 
duties.  Nothing  so  strategic  as  the  occupations  of 


172  AULNAY  TOWER. 

von  Moltke  and  my  friend  Gerhardt,  but  consid 
erable  writing  still  for  the  colonel ;  and  there  is  some 
body  I  must  see,"  he  said  in  a  business-like  tone, 
knowing  one  betrays  what  one  wishes  to  conceal 
oftener  by  an  elaborate  circumlocution  than  by  an 
unaccentuated  statement  of  the  truth.  The  marquis, 
intent  on  chess,  expressed  the  hope  of  a  game  later 
in  the  evening.  The  dark  abbe,  reading  in  the  alcove, 
did  not  once  raise  his  eyes.  Various  officers  came  in 
and  out  of  the  room  or  passed  the  door  upon  which 
Nordenfels  had  fixed  his  gaze.  Nothing  of  interest 
entered.  In  spite  of  the  onerous  duties  of  which  he 
had  spoken,  he  watched  and  waited  with  unobtrusive 
persistency.  Suddenly  some  bright  ribbons  flaunted 
themselves  aggressively  in  the  corridor.  They  dis 
appeared.  Nordenfelfl  asked  himself  a  pertinent 
question.  They  flashed  by  again.  Nordenfels  rap 
idly  surveyed  the  room.  The  colonel  was  convers 
ing  with  the  marquis.  The  abbe*  quietly  read.  "  Of 
course,  those  eyes  of  his  see  everything.  See  ?  They 
see  when  he 's  at  his  prayers  and  when  he 's  asleep." 
Nevertheless,  the  adjutant  rose  and  sought  the  rib 
bons.  As  he  advanced,  they  receded,  until  they  had 
decoyed  him  to  a  place  where  a  low-voiced  colloquy 
seemed  to  their  owner  not  inappropriate. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  173 

The  exchange  of  ideas  was  brief  but  significant. 

"  She 's  in  the  acacia-walk,"  was  the  welcome  infor 
mation  imparted  to  him  in  a  stage  whisper. 

"A  thousand  thanks,  Manettechen.  You  shall 
never  regret  that." 

The  ribbons  flew  in  one  direction  where  a  flaxen 
giant  was  awaiting  them ;  the  uniform  moved  as 
eagerly,  if  with  more  dignity,  in  another. 

Past  the  great  linden  and  the  thuyas  he  went,  with 
his  long,  firm  step.  His  heart  beat  fast.  He  knew 
no  words  to  say  to  the  lady  whom  he  was  seeking 
in  the  twilight ;  but  in  his  lover's  rhapsody,  fearing, 
hoping,  trembling,  rejoicing,  he  remembered  only  the 
liquid  depths  of  her  eyes  as  he  had  met  their  gaze 
in  the  cottage,  and  forgot  their  haughty  indifference 
as  she  stared  at  the  chandelier  and  nothing.  He 
was  glad  of  the  garden,  glad  of  the  gathering  dim 
ness,  exultant  that  he  was  drawing  near  to  her  lovely 
presence ;  and  even  the  morrow's  parting  seemed  a 
shadowy  sorrow,  so  strong  and  warm  was  the  un 
defined  hope  in  the  young  man's  honest  soul. 

She  heard  the  swing  of  his  sabre,  the  click  of  his 
spurs  along  the  paved  walk,  and  well  she  knew  his 
step.  A  thousand  conflicting  impulses  moved  her. 
Should  she  go  ?  Should  she  stay  ?  Would  he  notice 


174  AULNAY  TOWER. 

that  her  eyes  were  wet?  How  could  he  venture 
to  seek  her  here  ?  How  could  he  know  ?  Should 
she  remain  where  she  was  on  the  low  rustic  seat? 
Should  she  rise  and  walk  the  other  way  ? 

She  remained.  He  came.  Impassioned  as  any 
lover  whose  romantic  ardor  illumines  the  pages  of 
tradition  and  verse,  had  she  been  an  old  dowager  at 
high  noon  instead  of  his  lady-love  in  the  soft  twilight, 
he  yet  could  not  have  inclined  his  tall  figure,  and 
raised  his  hand  in  stiff  salute,  with  more  ceremonious 
elegance ;  and  under  no  circumstances  could  she  have 
manifested  a  smoother  impenetrability.  He  had  a 
confused  impression  that  life  was  short,  that  it  was 
folly  to  let  golden  moments  pass  without  making 
them  one's  own  in  bliss  and  forgetfulness ;  but  of 
such  wild  thoughts  this  modern  knight,  being  en 
cased  in  good  breeding  as  in  a  coat  of  mail,  gave 
no  sign ;  and  of  all  the  eloquence  surging  mightily 
through  him,  not  a  word  escaped.  He  only  said, 
"  Good  evening,  madame." 

"  Good  evening,  Herr  von  Nordenfels,"  replied  the 
coolest  voice  of  the  countess. 

"It  is  mild  this  evening,"  remarked  the  ardent 
lover. 

"  Yes,"  she  returned,  with  befitting  gravity.    "  That 


AULNAY  TOWER.  175 

is,  it  was  mild.  It  is  a  little  cooler  now.  I  think 
I  will  go  in." 

"Ah,  don't  go  quite  yet !  "  begged  Nordenfels  with 
startling  vehemence;  then  he  stopped  short. 

She  did  not  answer,  but  neither  did  she  go. 

The  chateau  was  noisy  with  the  voices  and  heavy 
tread  of  men.  The  village  was  all  astir ;  but  surely 
the  tumult  was  of  some  remote  world.  Near  them 
was  no  sound  but  the  drowsy  plash  of  the  foun 
tain  and  the  faintest  murmur  of  the  soft  acacias 
in  the  evening  breeze.  Above,  the  dark  Tower  kept 
watch. 

He  was  not  shy,  yet  he  feared  the  cold  mask 
she  had  assumed.  He  was  not  bold,  yet  he  felt  ari 
imperious  desire  to  take  her  in  his  arms  and  cover 
her  haughty  face  with  his  warm  kisses,  until  it  could 
never  again,  whether  in  love  or  hate,  look  at  him 
without  a  flush  of  remembrance. 

At  length  he  quietly  said,  "  You  know  we  leave 
the  chateau  to-morrow,  madame  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  cold  voice.  "  I  believe  I  heard 
some  one  say  so.  They  were  all  making  such  a 
disturbance  in  the  house,  that  I  came  out  for  a 
little  quiet." 

To    the    refined    ungraciousness    of    this    speech 


176  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Nordenfels  replied  in  his  earnest,  direct  manner  :  "  I 
regret  every  sound  and  tone  that  jars  upon  your  ear, 
every  sight  that  offends  your  eyes.  Our  rudely  en 
forced  presence  in  your  house  seems  to  me  nothing 
less  than  sacrilege.  Not  a  day,  not  an  hour  goes  by, 
but  I  feel  that  with  you  and  for  you." 

Charmed  against  her  will  by  his  protecting  ten 
derness,  her  spirit  drawn  resistlessly  towards  him, 
struggling  against  the  strange  pain  she  felt  at  the 
thought  of  losing  him,  and  bewildered  by  the  power 
of  her  emotions,  she  broke  out  inconsequently,  a 
bitter  ring  in  her  voice :  "  You  Germans  are  ter 
rible.  Your  war  is  hard  and  cruel  beyond  even 
the  necessities  of  war.  You  are  relentless,  pitiless. 
From  Aulnay  to  Chelles,  with  your  landmarks  and 
batteries  and  abatis  and  palisades,  you  have  ruined 
our  pleasant  country.  Many  a  fine  estate,  many  an 
ancient  chateau,  you  have  sacrificed  ruthlessly.  You 
nold  that  might  makes  right.  You  have  no  other 
law.  You  are  as  inflexible  as  death.  You  bring 
death,  —  worse  than  death  to  us  — ' 

Pained,  astonished,  Nordenfels  stood  silent  before 
her,  and  no  instinct  whispered  :  "  It  is  because  she 
loves  you  that  she  says  this.  She  seeks  to  defend 
herself  against  herself  and  you.  She  has  no  weapons 


AULNAY  TOWER.  177 

but  these  wild  words,  which  she  flings  desperately  on 
every  side." 

He  bowed  his  head  and  listened  sorrowfully. 

The  twilight  was  closing  in  dense  around  them. 
The  fountain  plashed  on  in  its  cool  unconcern.  This 
was  not  what  he  had  sought  in  the  shadowy  garden. 
He  remembered  the  colonel's  pleasantry  that  first 
day  they  rode  into  Aulnay,  and  he  saw  her,  proud 
and  pale,  facing  them  at  the  door  of  the  old  chateau. 
She  was  indeed  the  princess  of  the  enchanted  castle. 
How  should  he  reach  her  through  the  labyrinth  of 
thorns  ?  He  felt  that  whether  there  were  only 
moats  and  drawbridges  between  them,  or  earthquakes 
and  pestilence,  tempest  and  floods,  undreamed-of 
perils  and  Titan  foes,  he  must  go  on.  And  there 
she  sat,  so  near.  It  seemed  to  him  there  were  only 
they  two  in  the  world.  So,  too,  it  seemed  to  the 
fair  woman  as  she  heard  the  fountain  and  looked 
up  to  the  silent  Tower.  Yet  she  would  not 
yield. 

"  You  are  men  of  iron,  men  of  stone,"  she  resumed. 
"  Are  we  not  brave  ?  Who  is  braver  than  a  French 
man  ?  Our  soldiers  charge  with  magnificent  force ; 
they  are  impetuous,  gallant,  elastic,  agile ;  they  have 
endurance,  strength ;  they  are  loyal ;  they  are  heroes  ; 
12 


178  AULNAY  TOWER. 

but  they  fall  before  your  cruel,  serried  ranks  of 
frozen-hearted  demons  ! " 

Still  he  did  not  speak.  He  folded  his  arms  and 
patiently  waited  for  the  storm  to  pass. 

"  And  now  you  are  closing  in  round  beautiful 
Paris.  Nearer  and  nearer,  tighter  and  tighter,  you 
are  drawing  your  cruel  lines.  But  though  you  await 
her  downfall,  that  you  will  not  see.  No,  that  at 
least  will  be  spared  us.  You  have  the  overweight 
of  brute  force.  Whether  the  triumph  of  mind  is  for 
you  or  for  us,  that  even  your  arrogance  may  not 
presume  to  determine." 

Her  low  voice  ceased  its  rapid  and  indignant  utter 
ance. 

"  Why  has  she  never  spoken,  and  why  must  it  be 
to-night,  of  all  nights,  that  she  builds  this  barrier 
between  us  ?  "  Nordenfels  asked  himself. 

After  a  long  and  painful  pause,  "  I  do  not  under 
stand  you,  madame,"  he  said  with  simplicity. 

It  was  no  wonder.  She  did  not  understand  her 
self,*  did  not  know  what  induced  her  to  pour  a  tor 
rent  of  hard  words  upon  the  head  of  this  man,  whose 
consideration  had  never  failed  to  impress  her  with  a 
subtle  sense  of  protection  and  rest,  whose  steadfast 
eyes  followed  her  with  their  boundless  sympathy 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  179 

and  deference,  and  what  beside  she  had  never  cared 
to  fully  interpret.  She  only  knew  her  heart  was 
heavy;  that  a  deathly  loneliness  and  dread  of  the 
morrow,  and  of  all  the  dreary  morrows  to  come,  had 
taken  possession  of  her. 

Above  the  sombre  Tower,  cloud-masses  were  gather 
ing  and  breaking.  On  the  west  wind  echoed  faintly 
the  far-off  Paris  chimes.  In  all  her  life  she  had 
never  known  so  strong  a  feeling  as  this  with  which 
she  was  contending.  "He  is  your  enemy,"  was 
borne  upon  the  breeze  straight  from  the  beleaguered 
city.  Strange  and  confused  voices  were  struggling 
for  mastery  in  her  soul.  "His  eyes  are  true,  his 
voice  is  sweet,  his  presence  stirs  your  heart  in  a 
wonderful  way,  and  when  you  look  upon  him  in  the 
strength  and  beauty  of  his  young  manhood,  you  are 
moved  to  place  your  two  hands  in  his  and  trust  him, 
and  give  him  what  he  asks.  For  something,  something 
he  is  silently  asking,  even  now  as  he  stands  there, 
pained  by  your  words.  But  remember  he  is  an  enemy, 
wickedly  invading  your  dear  land.  He  will  go  to 
morrow.  Let  him  go.  You  are  a  Frenchwoman  and 
a  Montauban."  And  above  this  warning  sounded 
the  clear  voice  of  her  dream.  "  Choose ! "  it  cried 
solemnly ;  while  in  the  dusky  clouds  she  saw  a 


180  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

martial  train, — not  all  those  solemn  heroes  march 
ing  down  the  ages,  not  all  the  glory  and  splendor  of 
the  vision,  but  majestic,  changing  forms  vanishing 
behind  the  old  church-tower;  and  it  was  to  her  as 
if  the  most  beautiful  of  them,  the  most  earnest 
and  serene,  were  standing  near  her  and  beginning 
now  to  speak  in  a  tone  softer  than  the  fall  of  the 
water. 

"  Countess,  much  that  you  say  is  true." 
He  hesitated.  The  position  was  all  false,  all  un 
necessary,  he  felt.  What  had  the  war  to  do  with 
them,  with  his  love  for  this  woman,  except  that  it 
had  led  him  to  her  dear  feet,  where  he  longed  to 
kneel  with  a  thousand  impassioned  words,  only  she, 
she  herself  restrained  him.  "Forgive  me  if  I  find 
it  too  hard  to  answer  you ;  this  is  neither  the  time 
nor  place,"  he  continued.  "  You  cannot  wonder  that 
as  a  German  I  love  my  fatherland ;  as  a  soldier,  my 
calling.  And  yet,  if  I  could  tell  you  all  my  thoughts 
about  war  in  general,  —  ah,  madame,  they  are  perhaps 
not  wholly  unlike  your  own,  except,  of  course,  I  must 
contend  that  our  mode  of  making  war  is  second  to 
none." 

His  naturalness  and   great   indulgence   were   the 
most  sensible  means  he  could  have  chosen  to  calm 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  181 

her  excitement.  Instinctively  he  felt  that  she  was 
listening  more  quietly  now. 

"If  you  would  allow  me,  some  day,  in  a  happier 
time,  I  will  answer  you,  countess.  Some  day  there 
is  much  I  would  say  to  you.  I  would  have  said  it 
to-night,  but  the  moment  passed  —  unless  —  "  He 
hesitated. 

He  spoke  with  self-command,  but  there  was  love 
in  his  voice. 

She  rose  quickly.  Her  hands  trembled  as  she 
drew  her  lace  scarf  closer  round  her  face. 

"  Herr  von  Nordenfels,  my  uncle  will  be  wondering 
what  has  become  of  me." 

"  It  is  early  still." 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  better  that  I  go  in." 

He  pulled  his  mustache  and  walked  along  by  her 
side,  staring  straight  before  him. 

"  Why  did  you  tear  down  Livry  ? "  she  asked  in 
a  conversational  tone. 

"  I  ? "  said  Nordenfels  absently.     "  Heaven  forbid  !" 

Inscrutable  nature  of  woman !  At  his  unexpected 
reply  she  laughed  a  little,  low  as  if  to  herself,  and 
her  lover  listened  enchanted. 

"Livry  ?"  he  repeated. 

"The  chateau  where  Madame  de  Stael  lived  and 


182  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

wrote.  I  was  not  accusing  you  of  personal  ani 
mosity,"  she  added. 

Madame  de  Stael,  it  is  to  be  feared,  was  to  him  an 
object  of  remote  and  infinitesimally  small  interest,  but 
he  gratefully  blessed  her  memory  at  this  moment. 

"  Ah,  yes,  I  remember.  Pardon  me.  I  was  some 
what  distrait.  It  was  a  necessity,  of  course.  Believe 
me,  we  do  not  destroy  homes  from  a  wanton  spirit  of 
destruction.  We  are  not  barbarians,  countess."  As 
hate  leaps  out  in  civil,  guarded  speech,  so  his  love 
flamed  through  every  light  word  he  uttered. 

She  said  nothing.  The  twilight  and  the  acacias 
seemed  to  cling  to  her  as  she  walked. 

Some  subtle  fragrance  lingering  in  the  lace  wound 
about  her  fair  hair  mingled  with  the  fresh  earthy 
smells  and  the  dews  of  evening.  They  walked  slower 
and  slower. 

The  lover's  voice  was  silent.  His  spirit  spoke  to 
hers  unceasingly.  "Do  not  be  unjust,  dear  lady. 
It  is  all  a  mystery.  Human  vices  and  virtues  are 
exaggerated  into  unnatural  prominence  in  war.  In 
war,  as  in  peace,  the  noble  suffers  for  the  act  of  the 
thoughtless  and  the  coarse,  and  a  thousand  un 
trained  souls  undo  the  act  of  the  humane  and  wise. 
In  war,  as  in  peace,  the  brain  plans  wisely,  the  hot 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.-  183 

heart  errs.  Is  it  hard  to  rule  one's  own  spirit  ?  Is 
it  hard  for  me  now  not  to  fold  you  to  my  heart  in 
your  loveliness  ?  Do  not  be  unjust,  dearest  lady. 
War  executes  rapidly  what  peace  does  slowly  but 
no  less  surely.  In  peace,  too,  strength  triumphs,  the 
weakest  goes  to  the  wall,  and  good  souls  fight  a  brave 
fight  yet  die  of  cruel  wounds.  What  are  the  worst 
wounds  ?  Those  of  the  battlefield  ?  Who  can  tell  ? 
War  is  pitiless.  Is  society  less  so?  Does  not  society 
make  its  indisputable  requisitions,  trample  on  the 
wounded,  cheer  the  conqueror  whatever  his  course  ? 
And  does  not  society  resort  to  methods  not  permissi 
ble  in  honorable  warfare,  to  a  more  extended  espion 
age,  to  a  meaner  and  more  heartless  treatment  of 
prisoners,  to  torture  and  polite  thumbscrews  long 
since  abandoned  by  progressive  and  merciful  minds 
but  retained  in  society's  '  best '  circles  ? 

"  Some  far-off  day  will  a  new  and  noble  era  dawn  ? 
Would  that  you  and  I  could  behold  its  glory  and  its 
justice.  In  the  mean  time,  my  lady,  never  believe 
the  humane  spirit  may  not  exist,  even  in  war ;  for 
life  is  war,  and  war  is  everywhere  in  life  and  nature. 
Disease  and  pestilence  are  more  cruel  than  the  sword, 
and  friendly  mother  earth  is  often  our  worst  enemy. 
Surely,  if  one  thinks,  one  sees  this,  and  '  Evil  saith 


184  AULNAY  TO  WEE. 

to  Good :  My  brother,  I  am  one  with  thee,'  so  inter 
woven  are  life's  threads.  Surely  the  anarchists  and 
all  the  misled  restless  beings,  seeking  to  undermine 
this  bad  old  world  in  order  to  build  a  worse  one 
upon  its  ruins,  are  guided  by  too  little,  not  too 
much  thought;  and  theirs  is  the  most  wicked  and 
most  futile  war.  But  trouble  your  fair  soul  not 
at  all,  lady,  walking  with  rne  in  the  twilight,  about 
all  these  involved  questions  which  the  wisest  cannot 
solve.  Do  not  hate  me  because  I  come  in  war. 
Be  magnanimous,  be  pitiful  !  Only  love  me,  and  all 
will  be  well.  Only  let  me  take  you  to  my  heart, 
and  the  problems  and  mysteries  may  circle  on  for 
ever  in  infinite  mazes.  Make  this  moment  sublime 
with  the  light  of  your  love,  and  all  doubt,  all  dark 
ness,  will  fall  from  my  soul." 

So  with  lover's  logic  pleaded  the  lover's  spirit. 
And  he  might  have  said  all  this  and  more,  for  a  whirl 
of  fantastic  thoughts  was  rushing  through  his  excited 
brain ;  but  he  could  not  speak.  The  day  had  exacted 
heavy  duties  of  him.  Before  dawn  he  had  been 
faithfully  at  work.  Each  hour  of  service,  unknown 
to  him,  was  bringing  him  nearer  this  wonderful 
moment  at  the  close  of  the  long,  hard  day.  Only 
one  thing  seemed  important  to  him,  only  one  thing 


AULNAY  TOWER.  185 

seemed  real ;  and  stronger  to  him  than  war  and  life 
and  death  was  the  love  in  his  heart  for  this  fair 
woman  walking  by  his  side  as  quiet  as  the  dusk  and 
as  mysterious.  Yet  how  could  he,  on  the  verge  of  de 
parture,  and  after  her  passionate  protest  against  him, 
his  race,  and  his  cause,  turn  and  declare  his  feeling  ? 
It  would  be  as  abrupt  and  painful  as  a  pistol-shot. 
That  is,  how  could  he  insist  that  she  should  listen  to 
what  she  plainly  wished  to  avoid  ?  "  If  I  live,  I  will 
come  back,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  If  I  die,  at  least 
I  have  seen  the  one  woman  I  could  love  with  all  my 
strength  and  all  my  soul.  Yet  if  I  die,  I  long  to  tell 
her  once,  if  only  once,  that  I  love  her  ! " 

He  thought  the  lady  must  have  heard  the  loud, 
fast  beating  of  his  heart.  Who  knows  what  she 
heard,  or  what  of  all  its  passionate  burden  reached 
her,  touched  her,  thrilled  her  in  the  silence  ?  In  all 
the  science  of  unexplained  forces,  what  is  so  sure 
and  swift  as  lovers'  thought-reading  ? 

The  countess  suddenly  stopped.  They  were  by 
an  opening  in  the  acacias  which  made  a  high  arched 
frame  for  the  landscape  beyond. 

She  hesitated,  turned  to  go,  gave  a  little  sigh, 
lingered,  and  said  softly,  with  an  upward  gesture, 
"Look!" 


186  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  clouds  had  drifted  on  with  the  far-off  dream- 
heroes  ;  over  the  Tower  gleamed  one  pale  star. 

He  glanced  upwards,  then  eagerly  back  to  her. 

She,  looking  steadily  towards  the  Tower,  went  on 
in  her  low,  quiet  voice :  "  I  have  watched  that  star 
by  the  Tower  many,  many  times,  countless  hours, — 
as  a  child,  and  since,  —  always  alone." 

He  made  an  impetuous,  glad  movement,  and  was 
about  to  speak. 

"Listen!"  she  said  softly.  He  folded  his  arms  and 
obeyed  the  soft,  restraining  voice. 

"  When  I  was  a  child  I  used  to  wonder  if  my 
parents  were  up  there, —  if  they  were  looking  down 
and  loving  me ;  if  there  were  wax  dolls  up  there  that 
would  not  melt,  and  bonbons  that  one  could  not  eat 
too  much  of,  and  daisies  that  would  never  hang  their 
heads  though  I  should  clasp  them  close  in  my  hot 
little  hand  a  whole  summer  morning  long." 

It  seemed  to  JSTordenfels  that  she  was  faintly  smil 
ing;  but  her  voice  was  sad,  profoundly  sad.  He 
pictured  her  a  child,  wandering  alone  with  her  daisies 
in  the  great  park,  and  loved  her  unknown  childhood. 

"And  I  wondered  if  there  were  uncles  and  aunts 
up  there  that  would  let  one  play  with  village  chil 
dren,  laughing  and  screaming  and  being  happy  on 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  187 

the  green,  while  I  peered  longingly  at  them,  my  face 
pressed  close  against  our  gates.  A  thousand  such 
fancies  I  had.  They  would  weary  you  to  relate  them, 
—  the  foolish  little  fancies  that  haunt  the  brain  of  a 
lonely  child.  For  I  was  alone,  you  know.  Later, 
I  used  to  sit  and  watch  the  star  over  the  Tower,  a 
young,  young  girl,  with  vague  hopes  hovering  like 
angels  about  me,  and  dreams  and  illusions  beckoning 
me  on.  I  must  have  been  too  staid  and  subdued 
outwardly,  but  my  heart  rejoiced ;  and  though  I  was 
alone,  I  was  then  never  really  alone,  for  I  was  like 
a  part  of  the  garden,  it  was  so  near,  so  dear  to 
me.  It  was  my  friend,  my  companion.  The  plash 
of  the  fountain  spoke  to  me ;  and  the  breath  of  the 
breeze  and  the  touch  of  the  cool  and  tender  foliage 
on  my  cheek  was  a  caress,  as  I  pushed  eagerly  through 
the  shrubbery  in  the  springtime,  seeking,  finding 
treasures  of  blossom  and  leaf,  knowing  every  bird- 
note,  caring  for  the  hum  of  the  insects  and  the  very 
dews  on  the  grass,  —  loving  the  old  park,  loving  life, 
afraid  of  nothing,  of  no  fate,  of  no  beyond." 

And  he,  listening,  knew  and  loved  her  girlhood. 

She  paused,  considered  an  instant.  "  Then  I  went 
away  from  Aulnay,"  she  said  simply,  her  voice  still 
lower.  "  For  a  long  time  I  saw  the  star  above  the 


188  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Tower  and  the  chestnut-trees  and  dear  old-fashioned 
paths  only  in  homesick  dreams.  I  was  alone  still." 

He  perfectly  understood  her.  He  felt  he  would 
give  all  the  years  of  his  life  if  he  might  hold  her  now, 
this  instant,  to  his  breast.  "  And  then,  madame  ? " 

"  And  then  I  came  back  to  Aulnay,  and  the  garden, 
and  all ;  but  I  had  grown  old." 

"  Old  !  You,  countess  ? "  He  laughed,  exulting  in 
her  youth. 

"What  I  call  old,  yes.  And  yet  here  again  under 
the  Tower,  evenings,  listening  to  the  water  and  to 
the  breeze  in  the  acacias,  and  watching  my  star  come 
out,  my  wishes  are  more  extravagant  and  wild  than 
when  I  was  young.  A  thousand  thousand  impossible 
wishes  I  send  floating  up  above  the  Tower." 

Out  on  the  village  street  the  men  were  marching 
down  to  relieve  guard ;  left,  right !  left,  right !  — 
their  tramp  echoed  through  the  hollow  court-yard  and 
penetrated  into  the  shadowy  park.  There  were  loud, 
metallic  sounds  against  the  paving-stones,  hammering, 
and  strong  bass  voices  in  abrupt  question  and  reply. 
She  turned  her  head  an  instant  towards  the  din  and 
disturbance,  then  back  to  the  quietness  and  him. 

"  You  send  them  floating  up  to  the  Tower  ? "  he 
repeated  tenderly. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  189 

"  I  wish  I  could  live  on  this  fair  earth  at  a  later  age, 
when  there  shall  be  no  jealousies  between  nations,  no 
hatred,  no  strife ;  when  the  monster  War  shall  have 
been  crushed,  and  no  standing  army  shall  weigh  down 
any  people ;  when  we  shall  sail  through  space  from 
land  to  land;  when  science  shall  have  learned  to 
subdue  pain  and  disease,  and  soften  death." 

"  And  all  that  on  this  earth  ? " 

"  Why,  yes."  She  laughed  a  little.  " One  loves  one's 
home,  you  know.  The  star  up  there  would  seem  quite 
strange,  I  fear ;  and  if  there  are  beings  on  it,  they 
must  be  different  from  us,  —  nobler,  grander.  I  like 
to  think  of  this  earth,  this  world,  transfigured  glo 
riously.  It  is  often  such  a  stupid,  sad  old  world,  it  is 
pleasant  to  imagine  it  with  more  light.  And  if  your 
life  has  been  a  mistake,  you  can  always  hope  for  it  to 
be  made  right  in  heaven.  But  all  the  same  you  have 
your  fancies  about  this  very  planet  as  it  might  be, — 
as  it  will  be,  perhaps,  one  day  for  others." 

He  broke  out  passionately :  "  Madame,  let  it  come, 
if  it  will, —  your  expurgated  edition  of  this  world. 
I,  too,  have  my  Utopian  dreams.  But  let  the  world 
go.  We  are  here ;  and  I  cannot  tell  you  how  my 
very  soul  laughs  within  me  when  your  fresh  voice 
and  your  young  lips  speak  of  your  wasted  life,  like 


190  AULNAY  TOWER. 

an  old  crone  mumbling  in  the  chimney-corner.  What 
do  you  know  of  life  ?  Nothing.  Have  you  been 
alone  ?  But  you  need  never  be  alone  again.  Have 
you  had  sorrows,  injuries  ?  What  cannot  youth  and 
love  forget !  Ah,  even  in  this  world  there  are  mo 
ments  when  the  soul  asks,  Can  paradise  be  more  ? 
And  when  a  man  finds  his  other  self,  the  life  of 
his  life,  he  craves  no  unknown  world  to  teach  him 

joy." 

"  Hush,  hush,  you  must  not  speak  so ;  you  forget," 
she  murmured  tremblingly.  Then,  with  a  strong 
effort,  she  continued,  "Herr  von  Nordenfels,  it  is 
unfitting,  it  is  painful  and  useless  to  say  more." 

"  But  —  " 

"  Spare  me.     Spare  yourself." 

"Madame  —  " 

"  I  could  pretend  not  to  understand." 

"  At  first,  but  not  now  —  never  again,"  he  pro 
tested.  "  I  can  never  tell  you  with  words.  Unless 
my  life  may  tell  you,  you  will  never  know." 

Every  tone  of  his  voice  was  a  caress  for  which  her 
soul  hungered  when  he  ceased  to  speak.  She  an 
swered  bravely  :  "  I  felt  I  had  not  been  just  and  kind 
to  you  in  what  I  said.  I  spoke  with  strange  violence. 
I  wished  to  make  reparation;  or,  that  not  being 


AULNAY  TOWER.  191 

possible,  I  wished  at  least  to  "be  honest  with  you  and 
with  myself.  For  that  reason,  and  because  you  are 
going  away  to-morrow  morning  and  I  shall  never  see 
you  again,  it  seemed  to  me  no  harm  to  talk  to  you 
simply  as  one  talks  to  a  friend.  I  never  had  a  friend. 
I  never  talked  to  any  one  as  I  have  talked  with  you 
to-night.  Do  not  make  me  regret  it." 

"  I  am  not  your  friend  ;  and  if  I  live,  you  will  see 
me  again,"  the  man's  voice  replied  boldly. 

Again  she  ignored  in  self-defence. 

"  I  spoke  harshly.  Pardon  me.  But  I  believe  the 
greater  part  of  what  I  said  ;  and  though  I  dream  of  a 
world  where  nations  do  not  hate  and  kill  each  other, 
I  am  a  Frenchwoman,  and  you  are  the  enemy  of  my 
country.  Therefore,  forget  your  ungracious  hostess. 
But  if  you  ever  think  of  her,  remember  she  thanks 
you  for  your  patience  with  her  immeasurable  contra 
dictions." 

"  My  patience  with  you !  Good  heavens  !  Ma 
dame  —  " 

But  she  was  resolutely  walking  on.  He  could  only 
follow.  As  he  was  breaking  out  in  eager  protestation 
and  entreaty,  she  placed  her  hand  heavily  on  his  arm. 
This  surprised  him  into  silence. 

"  Those  thuyas  have  singularly  striking  forms,"  she 


192  AULNAY  TOWER. 

began,  with  a  complete  change  of  tone,  and  assuming 
the  descriptive  lightness  of  a  ball-room  chat.  "  In 
winter,  laden  with  snow,  they  remind  me  of  hooded 
monks  ;  not  upright  monks,  but  stealthy,  mysterious, 
dangerous  men." 

Little  cared  he  for  thuyas  at  that  moment ;  but  he 
looked  at  them,  notwithstanding,  as  he  passed,  and 
inquiringly  at  her  as  they  approached  the  first  lantern 
near  the  chateau. 

"  I  thought  some  one  was  there,"  she  explained. 
"I  rnay  have  been  mistaken.  You  feel  an  unseen 
human  presence  sometimes,  you  know.  I  certainly 
neither  saw  nor  heard  anything.  It  was  sheer 
nervousness." 

They  were  on  the  lightest  portico.  The  great  door 
was  open.  No  one  happened  to  be  passing,  but  the 
house  was  full  of  movement,  steps,  voices,  doors  open 
ing  and  closing.  Any  instant  some  one  might 
come. 

"  Countess,  I  have  been  forgetting  that  I  must  go 
to-morrow.  Now,  I  remember.  Surely,  this  is  not 
the  last  moment  you  will  give  me  ? " 

"  It  is  better  that  I  say  good-night." 

"  But  I  have  said  nothing,"  he  murmured,  in  dis 
tress.  "  I  had  a  world  to  say.  You  would  not  listen. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  193 

You  have  not  heard.    The  precious  time  is  gone.    One 
moment  in  the  library,  I  beg  ! " 

He  moved  his  arm  abruptly.  A  tea-rose  dropped 
from  his  buttonhole.  He  stooped  and  picked  it  up. 

"  It  is  a  pretty  rose  for  this  desolate  region,"  she 
said. 

"It  is  from  Vert  Galant.  The  garden  and  hot 
houses  there  are  still  full  of  flowers.  This  rose  is  like 
the  one  you  wore  the  day  I  saw  you  first.  Will  you 
not  keep  it  ? " 

She  extended  her  hand ;  then,  as  if  repenting,  ex 
plained,  "  Ours  are  quite  gone.  Thanks,  and  adieu." 

"  One  moment,  madame  !     Ah,  do  not  go  !  " 

Suddenly  she  shaded  her  eyes  and  looked  search- 
ingly  into  the  darkness  of  the  park. 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Nothing.  I  am  fanciful.  I  thought  I  saw  a  thuya 
moving  across  the  lawn." 

"  Countess,"  he  pleaded,  "  will  you  not  once  say  you 
are  sorry  for  this  parting,  —  a  little  sorry  ? " 

"  The  change  is  not  welcome  to  me,  Herr  von  Nor- 
denfels,"  she  returned  very  gently.  "  No  —  assuredly 
—  I  do  not  desire  it." 

"  If  I  live,  I  will  come  back.  This  is  not  all,  can 
not,  shall  not  be  all." 

13 


194  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  Good-night,"  she  said  softly,  and  was  gone. 

In  her  turret-room  she  locked  her  door  against 
Manette.  She  kissed  the  pale  rose,  not  paler  than 
herself,  a  thousand  times,  and  her  hot  tears  blurred 
its  velvet  petals. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

THE  rose  that  was  kissed  and  wept  over  lay  the 
next  morning  between  the  leaves  of  Alfred  de  Musset's 
poems,  which  for  safe  keeping  Madame  de  Vallauris 
put  under  the  perfumed  laces  and  ribbons  in  the  up 
per  drawer  of  her  chiffonier.  Manette,  with  the  scent 
peculiar  to  hunting-dogs  and  lady's-maids,  nosed  the 
object  in  its  unwonted  place  before  she  had  been  five 
minutes  in  the  room  to  put  things  to  rights.  She 
opened  the  book,  perceived  the  rose,  and  threw  up 
her  dancing  black  eyes  with  thankfulness.  She  then 
placed  the  little  volume  diagonally  with  the  drawer, 
and  deftly  dropped  upon  it  a  violet  ribbon  and  a  bit  of 
Point  Duchesse,  all  exactly  as  she  had  found  them. 

"  She  may  have  arranged  them,  she  may  not.  At 
all  events,  accuracy  's  no  crime,"  was  her  conclusion 
as  she  went  thoroughly  and  swiftly  on  to  her  more 
apparent  duties ;  although  she  herself  considered 
nothing  more  incumbent  upon  a  perfect  lady's-maid 
than  to  categorically  comprehend  her  mistress,  —  her 


196  AULNAY  TOWER. 

weaknesses,  her  virtues,  her  love-affairs,  her  glove- 
buttons,  her  idiosyncrasies,  her  dilemmas,  her  secreted 
rosebuds,  and  her  innermost  desires. 

"When  Countess  Nathalie  returned,  Manette,  with 
the  unconsciousness  of  an  infant,  was  shaking  a 
table-cover  out  of  the  high  casement  window. 

"  Gently,  gently,  Manette,"  said  the  countess,  seat 
ing  herself  listlessly  in  a  low  chair. 

"  Nerves  —  love-nerves,"  commented  the  maid 
silently.  "Don't  I  know  these  symptoms?  The 
most  amiable  mistress,  —  but  the  doors  must  not 
disturb  our  thoughts,  footsteps  shall  not  sound,  and 
if  we  could,  we  would  stop  all  the  clocks  and  roosters. 
It  does  not  do  to  give  way  to  this  mood.  If  the  world 
could  not  make  a  noise  it  would  burst,  and  that 's  the 
long  and  short  of  it.  Hasn't  my  soldier  marched 
away  too  ?  Have  n't  I  put  on  blue  ribbons,  by  no 
means  becoming,  but,  alas  !  how  significant  ?  Blue  — 
faithfulness.  With  them  I  remind  myself  of  my 
attachment  to  my  Wackermann,  and,  just  heaven ! 
I  'd  better  hang  on  more  of  them,  for  that  Prussian 
Feldwebel  going  towards  the  stables  is  an  adorable 
creature.  If  I  shake  the  cloth  harder,  better  still 
the  white  curtains,  he  may  look  up ;  and  how  appro 
priate,  —  a  smiling  girl  at  a  window,  waving  a  flag 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  197 

of  truce!  How  endless  are  the  opportunities  pre 
sented  to  a  fertile  mind  by  this  sad  war !  He  sees. 
He  smiles.  He  salutes." 

She  fairly  gasped  with  excitement. 

"  Manette ! " 

"  Madame  ? " 

"  Why  are  you  making  such  extraordinary  motions, 
and  flaunting  the  curtains  so  wildly  ? " 

"  Giving  them  air,  madame  ;  lace  is  so  receptive  — 
so  sensitive." 

"  I  think  you  have  sufficiently  ministered  to  the 
sensitiveness  of  my  window-curtains,  Manette." 

"  Very  good,  madame." 

"  There  are  new  men  in  the  kitchen,  of  course.  I 
presume  you  have  not  had  occasion  to  speak  to  them." 

"  I  created  an  occasion,  madame.  It  was  not  dif 
ficult.  Devoted  as  I  am  to  madame  and  to  the 
family,  how  can  I  do  otherwise  than  be  on  the  best 
terms  with  the  men  in  the  kitchen,  especially  when 
they  alone  provide  the  meat  ? " 

"  The  half-cup  of  strong  bouillon  for  the  marquis. 
I  wish  you  to  beg  them  to  make  it  regularly  and 
well.  The  others  were  very  attentive  and  reliable. 
I  could  send  Jean,  but  they  laugh  at  him,  and  that 
irritates  the  poor  old  man." 


198  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  Madame  permits  me  to  remark  that  Jean's  de 
meanor  fails  in  the  tact  which  is  indispensable  in 
one's  treatment  of  cooks  in  general,  and  particularly 
men-cooks.  Foreign  and  military  men-cooks  require 
special  management.  It  was,  so  to  speak,  on  the 
marquis's  bouillon  that  I  sailed  into  the  kitchen. 
The  Prussians  had  not  been  installed  a  half-hour, 
before  that  matter  was  perfectly  arranged.  Madame 
may  rely  upon  the  thoroughness  of  my  mission. 
The  bouillon  will  be  served  hot,  strong,  prompt,  and 
with  vast  good- will.  The  kitchen,  I  may  say,  is 
won,  to  the  last  man." 

"It  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  we  must  beg  for 
the  Marquis  of  Montauban  a  cup  of  beef-tea  from 
Germans  in  his  own  kitchen;  and  if  they  did  not 
feed  us,  I  presume  we  should  starve.  But  the  im 
portant  thing,  nevertheless,  is  that  he  has  his  bouillon. 
I  do  not  doubt  your  method  was  efficacious." 

"  Madame  knows  that  in  order  to  execute  all  the 
duties  which  devolve  upon  me  in  the  present  unique 
situation  I  have  heroically  abandoned  all  national 
prejudices.  I  may  conscientiously  declare  that  not 
a  fragment  remains  in  my  composition." 

Madame  de  Vallauris  smiled  faintly.  That  Ma- 
nette  never  had  any  patriotism  to  lose  was  obvious. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  199 

A  shade  of  wonder  at  the  light  nature  of  the  girl 
crossed  her  mind,  occupied  with  dreary  retrospection. 
How  could  any  one  be  merry  to-day  ?  The  whole 
world  ought  to  feel  that  light  and  warmth  and 
glory  had  departed,  and  in  the  air  was  a  fatal  chill. 
Manette  was  a  canary-bird,  twittering  and  glancing 
about  with  hard  bright  eyes  though  death  was  in 
the  house.  No  —  Manette  was  devoted  and  good, 
blithe,  thank  God !  not  old  before  her  time.  Let  her 
live  her  own  way  and  be  her  own  gay  self,  mused 
the  sad  countess,  who  had  grown  more  attached  to 
her  one  woman  companion,  shallow  as  she  was,  in 
this  world  of  men  and  martial  rule,  as  she  had  also 
consciously  clung  with  a  warmer,  closer  affection  to 
her  unresponsive  uncle. 

What  should  she  do  with  this  day,  and  all  the 
other  days  stretching  away  into  the  colorless  future  ? 
That  the  Prussians  had  come  seemed  absolutely  un 
important.  Nothing  was  important  now;  and  she 
herself  was  like  a  dead  leaf,  tossed  hither  and  thither 
on  the  winds  of  fate.  There  was  but  one  thing  left,  — 
the  duty  of  each  day.  Even  that  reduced  itself  to 
minute  proportions;  for  what  she  could  be  to  her 
uncle  was  limited  by  his  requirements.  Still,  with 
more  tact,  with  more  patience,  she  might  learn  to 


200  AULNAY  TOWER. 

be  more  serviceable,  more  necessary  to  him,  to  com 
prehend  him  more  tenderly  and  wisely. 

"  I  will  go  to  him  now.  Surely  it  is  better  to  try 
to  do  something,  if  ever  so  little,  for  his  comfort,  his 
amusement,  than  to  stay  here  alone  and  remember. 
I  cannot  read.  Strange  words  stare  at  me  from  the 
printed  page, — words  I  heard  spoken  in  a  voice  I 
long  to  follow  and  obey.  And  a  presence  haunts  me, 
holds  me,  claims  me  with  its  loving  mastery.  Weak 
heart,  that  would  give  and  take  in  love's  improvi 
dence;  that  trembled  before  a  man's  pleading  tone 
and  a  man's  loving  face  ;  that  would  fain  have  yielded 
to  love's  sophistry  and  flung  me  a  traitor  yet  rap 
turous  upon  his  breast,  to  feel  his  face  above  me  in 
the  dusk  like  a  god's,  and  his  strong  arm  owning  me 
who  am  cheerless  and  alone !  A  love-sick  village 
girl  could  scarce  be  weaker  than  I.  Because  he  is 
beautiful  in  my  eyes,  must  I  yield  ?  Because  he  is 
noble  and  earnest,  and  his  grave  eyes  seek  mine 
with  entreaty  and  faith,  shall  I  plunge  headlong 
from  hate  to  love  ?  Because  I  feel  his  unseen  pres 
ence  in  a  crowded  room,  and  hear  his  lowest  word, 
and  see  him  only  when  scores  of  men  ride  by  my 
window,  because  —  because  —  something  mightier 
than  I  knew  existed  in  the  world  rises  up  in  me 


AULNAY  TOWER.  201 

and  claims ,  him,  calls  imperiously  for  him,  clings 
to  him  and  will  not  let  him  go,  shall  I  succumb  to 
the  memory  of  a  twilight  hour,  to  his  influence  and 
his  will,  and  gloatingly  live  the  moments  over  again 
in  all  their  bitter-sweet  intensity  ?  Cowardly,  self 
ish  heart,  reaching  for  its  coveted  good  over  blood 
stained  fields  where  patriots  have  fallen,  —  heart 
basely  longing  to  take  refuge  in  the  enemy's  camp, 
in  the  enemy's  arms,  have  you  no  honor  left,  have 
you  no  shame  ? 

"  He  is  gone.  God  keep  him  !  I  need  not  blush 
for  him.  He  is  a  true  man.  In  vague  dreams  I 
have  pictured  such  a  man  as  one  with  whom  a 
woman's  life  might  grow  large,  and  rich,  and  full  of 
noble  purpose.  The  chances  of  war  led  him  to  our 
doors.  The  chances  of  war  have  led  him  elsewhere. 
No,  I  will  not  yield  to  chance.  I  have  been  weak. 
Now,  I  resist.  I  will  forget.  There  is  one's  duty 
every  day ;  and  then,  they  cannot  last  forever,  —  the 
days,  the  long,  long,  dreary  days ! " 

She  thought  with  a  sudden  longing  of  the  rose. 
To  touch  it  once,  to  kiss  it,  to  hold  it  to  her  cheek, 
was  her  instinctive  need.  "  School-girl ! "  she  called 
herself,  and  walked  in  the  other  direction  and  stood 
a  moment  pale  and  still  by  the  window.  But  she 


202  AULNAY  TOWER. 

did  not  throw  the  rose  away,  and  never  forgot  where 
it  lay,  its  petals  crumpled  with  tears  and  kisses ;  and 
often  she  dreamed  of  it,  and  much  else  sweet  beside, 
for  dreams  are  rebels. 

"Manette,  ask  Jean  if  the  marquis  has  had  his 
coffee." 

"  He  has,  madame." 

"  Then  tell  Jean  to  ask  if  the  marquis  would  like 
me  to  read  to  him,  or  perhaps  a  game  of  be'zique,  or 
I  could  sit  and  chat  with  him  if  he  prefers.  Or, 
stay,  I  will  go  down  myself.  But  no  —  you  may  go, 
Manette." 

While  the  maid  went,  Madame  de  Vallauris  re 
mained  by  the  window.  She  could  see  a  part  of  the 
acacia-walk,  and  it  left  her  no  peace.  But  if  she 
turned,  the  hidden  rose  appealed  to  her  with  tender 
magnetism.  In  the  whole  chateau  she  had  no  pro 
tection  against  the  inevitable  swing  of  her  own 
thoughts  reverting  regularly  as  a  pendulum  from 
duty  to  love,  except  the  poor  resort  of  a  game  of 
cards  with  the  self-absorbed  old  gentleman.  Bezique 
may  be  a  perpetual  solace  for  elderly  ennuied  mor 
tals,  but  bezique  and  love  ?  Ah,  Love  forbid  ! 

Even  this  sedate  recreation  was  denied  her,  for 
Manette  came  with  a  kind  good-morning  and  many 


AULNAY  TOWER.  203 

thanks  from  the  marquis,  and  another  time  he  would 
be  charmed  to  oblige  her,  but  his  morning  was 
already  quite  occupied. 

"  M.  le  Marquis  is  in  a  very  cheerful  frame  of  mind," 
volunteered  Manette.  "  He  is  gracefully  gay,  airily 
excited,  like  —  like  a  bit  of  dignified  thistle-down." 

Countess  Nathalie's  heart  sank.  Well  she  knew 
the  demeanor  which  Manette's  impossible  phrase  in 
dicated.  It  expressed  a  mood  of  her  uncle's  most 
fatal  to  intimacy  or  any  approach  to  home-feeling, 
and  which  rendered  him  in  his  breezy  self-sufficiency 
as  unresponsive  to  actual  human  needs  as  if  he  had 
been  a  disembodied  spirit.  Touch  him  one  could 
not,  and  help  he  would  neither  give  nor  take. 

"  Is  he  alone  ? " 

"M.  1'Abbe  is  with  him.  The  gentlemen  are 
laughing  together.  M.  le  Marquis  is  still  in  his 
dressing-gown,  but  Jean  is  laying  out  his  things 
that  he  may  prepare  to  receive  the  visit  of  the 
new  officers.  Very  distinguished-looking  they  are, 
too,  —  I  having  taken  the  trouble  to  meet  several  of 
them  by  pure  chance,  —  but  when  I  think  with  what 
sternness  and  coldness  and  hardness  of  heart  we 
thought  it  necessary  to  receive  our  beautiful  dears, 
now  gone  probably  forever,  though  there  are  among 


204  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

them  true  hearts  that  will  return,  —  more  than  this 
it  being  inappropriate  to  mention,  —  and  when  I 
contrast  that  and  this,  I  have  sentiments,  sentiments, 
madame,  which  —  " 

"  Which  you  would  do  well  to  keep  for  your  own 
edification,  Manette,"  warned  the  countess  gently, 
"  since  the  marquis  has  simply  his  pleasure,  to  con 
sult  as  to  whom  he  will  receive  and  how  he  will 
receive  them." 

"Madame  permits  me  to  remark  it  is  not  the 
warmth  of  to-day  that  I  regret.  Far  be  it  from  me  to 
begrudge  those  handsome  Prussians  anything.  Oh, 
their  square  shoulders  and  their  long  stride  and  their 
blond  mustaches  and  their  dignified  air  deserve  all 
they  can  get.  But  there  are  others  with  square 
shoulders  and  slender,  straight  waists,  and  a  wonder 
ful  way  in  the  saddle,  and  a  long  easy  swing  on  foot, 
and  heavenly  mustaches,  not  to  mention  eyes  besides, 
and  kind  manners  to  the  lowest ;  and  so  I  say  it 's 
not  the  warmth  of  to-day,  but  the  coldness  of  an 
other  day  that  I  regret,  because  it  made  us  lose  time, 
as  well  as  hurt  feelings  —  feelings  that  —  " 

"  Manette,  have  you  nothing  to  do  ? " 

"  Much,  madame." 

"  Then  do  it." 


AULNAY  TOWER.  205 

The  countess  had  been  for  some  minutes  atten 
tively  assorting  silks  for  a  strip  of  embroidery. 

"  I.  do  not  see  my  palest  green,"  she  said,  as  if  life 
itself  hung  upon  that  tint. 

"  It  is  here,  madame." 

Madame  de  Vallauris's  right  hand  was  now  mov 
ing  with  the  soft  regularity  which  betokens,  among 
womankind,  either  a  calm  spirit  or  a  desire  to  conceal 
a  troubled  one. 

"  If  there  is  one  thing  more  than  another  that  I 
dote  upon,  it 's  this  heavenly  acacia-pattern.  Is  it 
madame's  own  design  ? "  inquired  the  wily  little 
maid  in  her  most  deferential  tone. 

"  It  is  very  simple,"  returned  the  countess  negli 
gently.  "I  designed  it  months  ago  for  my  uncle's 
trefoil  table." 

Manette  scrutinized  her  with  sharp  but  kindly  eyes. 

"  No  whimper  about  her  —  not  an  eyelash  shakes," 
she  thought.  Then,  with  a  sudden  womanly  impulse, 
the  little  coquette  said  prettily,  "  If  madame  permits, 
I  will  bring  my  sewing  here  ;  unless,  indeed,  I  should 
disturb  madame." 

Countess  Nathalie  looked  up  with  a  half-startled 
little  frown.  She  would  have  been  grateful  for  com 
plete  isolation.  Yet  to  what  end,  she  quickly  asked 


206  AULNAY  TOWER. 

herself.  She  was  for  the  moment  useless  to  her  uncle, 
useless  to  herself,  to  the  world.  But  alone  there, 
how  could  she  resist  the  sweetness  and  the  pain  of 
her  memories  ? 

"  Disturb  me,  Manette  ?  Oh,  no,"  she  returned  in 
her  soft,  cool  voice,  "  not  at  all.  That  is,"  she  added, 
"  if  you  are  careful  —  you  understand  ;  if  you  are 
desirous  of  pleasing  me.  You  are  a  good  child,  Ma 
nette,  but  sometimes  —  forgetful." 

Manette  raised  her  handkerchief  and  patted  quite 
dry  eyes  with  a  very  good  semblance  of  grateful 
emotion.  "  Oh,  thanks,  a  thousand  thanks  !  madame 
is  too  good.  There  seems  a  certain  appropriateness," 
she  murmured.  "In  high  or  low  circles  the  heart 
may  be  heavy  while  the  needle  flies  swiftly.  So 
many  men  below,  a  turret-room  above  —  ah,  it  is  a 
picture ! " 

Madame  de  Yallauris  smiled.  She  was  surprised 
that  she  could  smile  again,  but  Manette  was  ridicu 
lous.  "I  should  smile  on  my  death-bed  at  her 
extravagancies;  and  even  then  she  would  try  to 
make  me  appropriate." 

"  I  do  not  care  to  know  what  comedy  you  choose  to 
play  just  now,"  she  said.  "If  you  like  to  come,  and 
will  be  sensible,  I  have  no  objection." 


AULNAY  TOWER.  207 

So  Manette  brought  her  work,  and  in  spite  of  an 
overweening  consciousness  of  her  picturesque  effect, 
endeavored,  as  far  as  lay  in  her  capacity,  to  be  gen 
tle  and  good,  and  to  restrain  her  unruly  tongue.  "  If 
I  have  n't  a  very  deep  heart  myself,  I  do  appreciate 
such  an  adornment  in  others,"  she  thought,  sewing 
her  seams  with  a  demure  air,  and  admiring  her  mis 
tress's  noble  profile  bent  calmly  above  the  acacia- 
pattern.  "  Here  we  are  at  it  again,  always  falling 
into  the  most  delicious  contrasts.  Last  night  there 
was  she  in  the  acacia-walk  having  a  little  private 
conversation,  and  there  was  I  having  my  little  private 
conversation  in  the  vegetable-garden;  and  I  '11  venture 
to  say  nothing  in  life  could  be  so  unlike  as  what  she 
was  saying  to  her  adjutant  and  what  I  was  saying 
to  my  Wackermann.  But  human  nature 's  human 
nature,  and  two  pairs  of  us,  mistress  and  maid,  were 
all  the  same  a-lovering  in  the  twilight ;  and  very  pleas 
ant  it  was  too,  and  admitted  of  the  most  touching 
attitudes.  And  here  we  two  are  again, — she  suffering 
like  a  martyr  and  embroidering  as  coolly  as  if  there 
was  n't  a  blue-eyed  adjutant  in  Christendom ;  and  I 
suffering  less,  and  therefore,  to  balance  the  propor 
tions,  looking  more  disconsolate.  It 's  strengthening, 
it 's  a  constant  elixir  to  the  artist-spirit,  to  study  her 


208  AULNAY  TOWER. 

and  me ;  and  if  we  should  be  thrown  off  a  precipice 
together,  when  our  shattered  remains  were  discovered 
I  am  convinced  we  should  still  be  instructive  and 
picturesque  in  our  suggestion  of  mental  and  physical 
contrast." 

"  I  am  a  little  cold,  Manette.     Bring  me  a  shawl." 

Manette  sprang  to  a  drawer. 

"  Yes,  that  will  do,"  said  the  countess ;  "  any  little 
thing  for  the  shoulders." 

But  Manette  persisted  in  searching  for  another. 

"It  is  perfectly  immaterial  which  one  you  bring 
me." 

"  But  not  to  me,  —  ah,  never  to  me.  The  inferior 
quality  must  be  worn  by  madame  to-day,"  returned 
Manette  with  decision,  returning  after  some  delay 
with  a  small  cashmere  shawl  to  her  mistress.  "  This 
is  the  one." 

Madame  de  Vallauris  looked  wearily  indifferent. 

"  It  is  the  moral  consciousness,"  pleaded  Manette, 
with  a  virtuous  air.  "  Have  laurel- wreaths  no  mean 
ing  ?  Or  bells  of  victory  ?  Or  crepe  weeds  ?  Then 
so  has  the  texture  of  cashmere.  Madame  permits 
me  to  alter  the  arrangement  ? " 

"  Never  mind  the  arrangement,"  the  countess  said 
gently. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  209 

"Madame  knows  I  cannot  help  minding  the  ar 
rangement  ;  and  madame  would  not  wish  me  to  do 
otherwise,  for  then  I  should  be  false  to  my  highest 
principles.  Arrangements  ?  What  is  there  but  ar 
rangements,  good  or  bad  ?  Is  this  war  not  a  big 
arrangement  full  of  little  arrangements,  and  all  de 
pending  how  things  are  selected,  grouped,  and  com 
bined  ?  And  a  book,  —  what  is  a  book  ?  When  I 
have  dusted  the  library,  I  have  stood  and  looked  at 
the  big  Lit-tre*,  and  said  to  myself :  '  Manette,  put 
down  the  feather-duster  and  consider.  There  is  the 
big  dictionary.  There  are  the  works  of  Monsieur 
Moliere.  Manette,  all  the  words  are  in  that  dic 
tionary.  The  thing  is,  how  one  arranges  them.  If 
you  knew  how  to  arrange  words  as  well  as  Monsieur 
Moliere,  you  could  write  as  good  books  as  he  did.' 
And  a  poem,  —  madame  will  permit  me  to  confess 
I  once  tried  to  write  a  poem.  My  only  difficulty 
was  the  syllables.  'They  did  not  arrange  themselves 
easily.  Madame  is  smiling  ?  But  when  all  things 
are  but  a  clever  or  awkward  arrangement,  why  does 
madame,  so  indulgent  and  generous  as  she  is,  repulse 
my  best  efforts,  and  give  me  a  pang  in  the  heart 
with  her  refusal  to  award  me  her  sympathies  ?  Was 
Monsieur  Moliere  born  to  arrange  words  for  books  ? 

14 


210  AULNAY   TOWER. 

I,  no  less,  was  born  to  select,  to  shade,  to  group,  to 
balance,  —  in  short,  also  to  arrange ;  and  even  in 
the  privacy  of  madame's  own  room  the  inferior 
quality  of  cashmere  for  the  Prussians  has  a  mean 
ing,  and  is  an  act  of  loyalty  to  our  dear  departed 
Saxons." 

"  Manette,  you  are  a  good  girl,  but  you  talk  great 
nonsense.  If  you  wish  to  remain  here,  be  reason 
able." 

Manette,  having  freed  her  mind,  was  content  to 
relapse  into  brief  quiet,  until  again  her  vivacious 
tongue  led  her  into  temptation,  and  again  Madame 
de  Vallauris's  quiet  rebuke  checked  her.  Day  after 
day  the  two  sat  together  many  hours ;  for  the  Mar 
quis  de  Montauban  seemed  to  have  no  need  of  her 
whatever,  except  that  he  desired  her  presence  at 
lunch  and  dinner,  and  evenings  always  in  the  library 
or  salon.  He  rose  late,  breakfasted  leisurely,  and 
usually  found  some  one  to  chat  or  play  a  game  with 
him  afterwards ;  and  it  was  clear  nothing  she  could 
say  or  do  had  the  enlivening  and  happy  effect  which 
the  abbess  companionship  produced. 

Embroidering  the  acacia-pattern,  and  sitting  be 
tween  the  window  overlooking  the  garden  and  the 
rose  hidden  in  the  book,  what  wonder  that  she 


AULNAY  TOWER.  211 

continually  saw  one  face  and  heard  one  voice,  and  felt 
against  her  cheek  the  evening  breeze  that  had  stirred 
the  light  foliage  and  wafted  towards  her  the  faint 
distant  chiming  of  Paris  bells  !  And  every  day  her 
loneliness  increased;  and,  seeing  many  a  horse  and 
gallant  rider  pass  and  repass  her  windows,  meeting 
many  a  tall  military  form  whenever  she  descended 
from  her  turret,  living  among  circumstances  and 
pictures  which  vividly  suggested  ISTordenfels,  she  grew 
to  regard  him  with  an  intimate  sense  of  old  acquaint 
ance,  as  if  there  never  was  a  time  when  he  had 
not  existed  for  her;  and  her  lost  good  became  the 
strongest,  warmest  element  of  her  life.  Against  her 
thoughts  she  finally  ceased  to  struggle.  Solitude  and 
embroidery  are  not  the  most  efficacious  means  against 
forbidden  thoughts.  She  gradually  began  to  reason 
that  she  could  think  of  him  as  a  dead  friend;  yet, 
realizing  he  was  only  at  Montfermeil,  her  heart  beat 
fast  with  its  consciousness  of  the  powerful  influence 
this  strong,  young,  ardent,  manly  lover  exerted  over 
her.  Alive  he  was,  thank  God !  not  dead,  though 
his  life  could  never  crown  her  own.  Sometimes  in 
dreams  she  would  see  his  face  again,  instead  of  the 
dying  soldier's,  and  would  wake  in  terror  and  pray, 


212  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  Not  that,  not  that,  0  my  God !     Take  me,  but  let 
him  live!" 

So,  loving  him  she  missed  him,  and  missing  him 
she  loved  him ;  and  waking  or  sleeping,  her  thoughts 
were  all  of  him. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

IN  the  mean  time,  while  Max  von  ISTordenfels, 
even  graver  and  more  silent  at  Montfermeil  than  at 
Aulnay,  plunged  into  his  work  with  untiring  zeal, 
had  apparently  no  thought  beyond  his  duties,  and 
was  gaining  that  brown,  weather-beaten  look  that  sits 
well  on  a  blond  man's  face ;  while  Madame  de  Val- 
lauris,  like  a  fair  dame  of  an  ancient  ballad,  remained 
patiently  in  her  turret-room  and  wove  her  secret 
thoughts  and  sighs  into  her  acacia-pattern ;  while 
the  marquis  had  his  games  and  stories  and  chats, 
and  floated  with  the  current,  and  vastly  enjoyed  the 
life  and  movement  about  him  ;  while  the  orderlies 
flew  in  and  out  of  court-yard  and  house,  and  the 
distinguished  and  dignified  Prussian  officers  were 
very  jolly  and  light-hearted  among  themselves,  and 
one  and  all  professed  themselves  abject  slaves  of  the 
beautiful  but  unapproachable  young  countess  ;  while 
the  dark-eyed  abbe  read  his  profound  books  and 
kept  the  marquis's  spirit  in  an  equable  condition  ; 


214  AULNAY  TOWER. 

while  Pierre  and  Antoine  continued  to  bring  their 
fish  to  the  chateau;  while  Manette  fluttered  and 
flirted  downstairs,  and  planned  new  triumphs  as 
she  bent  over  her  demure  seam  upstairs  ;  while  the 
soldiers  performed  their  evolutions  like  so  much 
machinery,  yet  each  and  every  soul  lived  its  indi 
vidual  life  apart  and  mostly  concealed  from  each  and 
every  other  life  ;  while  there  was  laughing  and  eating 
in  the  village  of  soldiers,  yet  every  now  and  then  a 
wounded  man  brought  in  from  the  foreposts,  or  still 
worse,  covered  pitifully  on  the  stretcher,  whak  re 
mained  of  some  happy-hearted,  honest  boy  after  a 
shell  had  done  its  hideous  work,  —  while,  in  short, 
the  siege  with  all  its  lights  and  shades  and  contra 
dictory  phases  of  life  was  going  persistently  on,  no 
less  a  person  than  General  Trochu  within  the  great 
city  chose  to  develop  a  certain  strategy  which  had, 
as  results,  various  historical  facts  known  to  the 
world,  and  also  a  most  direct  and  important  influence 
upon  the  lives  of  our  two  lovers. 

General  Trochu,  that  much  harassed  man,  honestly 
doing  his  best  in  a  thankless  task  which  demanded 
nothing  less  than  a  hero  and  a  genius,  blamed  alike, 
whatever  he  did,  by  friend  and  enemy,  was,  it  is 
needless  to  remark,  unaware  of  the  existence  of  Max 


AULNAY  TOWER.  215 

Baron  von  Nordenfels  and  the  Countess  Nathalie  de 
Vallauris,  and  of  their  reciprocal  tender  attachment. 
Yet,  all  unconsciously,  he  did  them  the  kindest  turn 
in  the  world,  and  his  grim  war-plans  led  to  happy 
and  innocent  surprises  growing  like  spring  blossoms 
out  of  the  stains  of  battlefields. 

What  General  Trochu  with  inadvertent  benevo 
lence  did  for  our  lovers  was  approximately  as  fol 
lows.  Watchful  of  the  enemy's  movements,  he  was 
not  unaware  that  the  beleaguering  army  was  more 
or  less  weakened  by  the  detachments  ordered  south 
under  General  von  der  Tann,  and  resolved  to  satisfy 
himself  by  practical  means  as  to  the  true  condition 
of  things,  and  at  the  same  time  to  seize  every  pos 
sible  advantage  of  the  situation.  He  began  by 
repeated  bold  sorties  against  the  Crown  Prince  of 
Prussia.  The  28th  of  October,  General  Bellemare 
fell  upon  the  village  of  Le  Bourget,  but  three  kilo 
meters  from  Aulnay,  and  defended  by  Prussian  in 
fantry,  routed  the  Germans,  and  possessed  himself  of 
the  village,  which  he  strongly  barricaded. 

Chateau  Aulnay  was  naturally  in  a  state  of  intense 
excitement  on  account  of  this  struggle,  the  first  in  its 
immediate  vicinity.  Neither  the  marquis,  the  abbe, 
nor  the  countess  was  visible.  Two  days  later  the 


216  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Germans  prepared  to  regain  the  village.  For  this 
purpose  the  whole  second  Prussian  Guard  Infantry 
Division,  under  General  Budwitzky,  was  united  in 
three  columns.  Several  battalions  of  the  first  Guard 
Infantry  Division  stood  in  reserve  in  the  rear,  while 
General  von  Aarenhorst  held  the  Grenadier  Brigade, 

O  ' 

Schtitzen  Eegiment,  and  four  batteries  in  readiness 
at  Aulnay. 

All  day  long  the  sounds  of  the  severe  battle  which 
closed  only  at  nightfall  dominated  at  Aulnay.  The 
marquis,  the  abbe,  and  the  countess  sat  together  in 
the  library  listening,  seeing  it  all  in  imagination,  and 
realizing  that  the  Saxon  officers  who  had  lived  with 
them  on  friendly  terms  were  engaged  in  it. 

"  It  is  curious,"  remarked  the  marquis,  who,  so  far 
as  physical  courage  was  concerned,  was  imperturbable, 
"  that  when  you  think  the  most  unpleasant  thing  has 
arrived,  something  more  unpleasant  is  sure  to  follow. 
Now,  this  is  all  a  very  uncongenial  episode.  The 
disturbance  is  terrific,  in  the  first  place.  Bless  my 
soul !  but  that  musketry-fire  is  brisk.  Then,  one's 
sentiments  are  necessarily  conflicting.  By  instinct 
and  principle  our  hearts  are  with  our  brave  French 
troops.  But  when  we  remember  Linden  and  Nor- 
denfels  and  gay  little  Gerhardt,  we  don't  like  to 


AULNAY  TOWER.  217 

think  of  them  shot  through  the  heart,  now  do  we, 
Nathalie  ? " 

"  No,  uncle." 

"That's  the  veritable  mischief,  upon  my  word. 
Men  you  've  met  in  a  friendly  way,  men  you  Ve  greeted 
with  a  friendly  good-morning  and  shaken  hands  with 
at  night,  men  you  've  found  good  company,  men  who 
can  beat  you  at  chess,  —  well,  now,  you  don't  want 
the  French  to  lose,  but  you  don't  want  the  Germans  to 
be  shot ;  and  that 's  about  it,  is  it  not,  Nathalie  ?  " 

"  Yes,  uncle." 

He  walked  up  and  down,  inhaling  eau-d'Houbi- 
gant  audibly. 

"  That  you  can  read  to-day ! "  he  said  to  the  abbe*, 
who  raised  his  unfathomable  eyes  from  his  book,  and 
smiled  at  his  friend,  replying,  "I  read  from  habit, 
not  indifference,  believe  me." 

"  Long  ago,  when  hot  young  blood  coursed  through 
my  veins,  with  my  good  sword  in  my  hand,  I  had  no 
time  for  thoughts,"  the  marquis  rejoined  with  feverish 
animation.  "  But,  listening  here,  I  think,  I  object,  I 
protest,  I  am  in  a  dilemma ;  I  don't  like  it.  There  is 
the  strife ;  here,  two  men,  one  weighed  down  by  age, 
the  other  prevented  by  his  vows  from  striking  a  blow. 
But  what  can  one  do  ? " 


218  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  What,  indeed  ? "  returned  the  abba's  low  voice. 
"  What,  but  have  patience  ?  " 

The  marquis  threw  up  his  head,  and  listened  like 
an  old  war-horse  who  after  years  of  toil  hears  the 
bugle-call  again.  He  put  his  hand  to  his  head  with 
a  troubled  air.  The  phantom-like  old  gentleman 
seemed  to  feel  his  humanity  once  more.  Nathalie 
slipped  her  cold  hand  through  his  arm. 

"  That  is  right,  my  dear.  Cling  to  me.  Women 
need  protection  at  such  times.  Women's  nerves  make 
them  suffer  enormously.  You  are  terrified,  are  you 
not,  my  dear  ? " 

"  Yes,  uncle,"  she  returned  with  low  intensity,  "  I 
am  terrified  indeed.  I  am  most  miserable." 

The  marquis  rang  the  bell. 

"  Jean,"  he  said  to  the  trembling  old  servant,  "  wine 
for  the  countess ;  the  old  port,  Jean." 

Jean  tottered  out  and  in  again. 

Nathalie  tried  to  take  the  wine,  tried  to  smile  at 
her  uncle.  If  only  the  abbd  would  attribute  her 
emotion  to  physical  fear  !  But  though  no  muscle  of 
his  face  betrayed  his  thought,  and  his  solicitous,  re 
spectful  air  was  perfect,  she  had  an  agonizing  sense 
that  her  precious,  sorrowful  secret  lay  helplessly  before 
his  piercing  gaze,  and  that  the  world  was  not  large 


AULNAY  TOWER.  219 

enough  to  conceal  it  from  him.  And  still  the  hideous 
sounds  went  on, — now  and  then  a  lull  in  the  musketry- 
fire  followed  by  a  furious  burst,  the  roar  of  artillery 
continuous.  The  chateau  windows  shook  incessantly 
with  that  unbearable  tremor,  when  long  continued  so 
wearing  to  the  strongest  nerves  that  a  distinguished 
general  confessed  he  had  once  in  his  desperation 
actually  prayed  to  God  that  the  windows  might  cease 
to  tremble  for  a  little  time,  lest  he  should  go  stark 
mad.  But  the  windows  shook  on,  all  the  same. 

"  I  am  most  sorry  for  you,  my  poor  Nathalie,"  said 
the  marquis  gallantly.  "  But  there  is  no  escape.  Let 
us  only  hope  that  this  unpleasantness  may  not  last 
long.  Courage,  my  dear,  courage !  It  is  most  natu 
ral  that  you  should  be  distressed.  Nothing  can  be 
more  uncongenial  to  a  woman's  highly  organized 
temperament.  You  are  better  now,  my  love  ?  The 
eau-d'Houbigant  is  always  so  efficacious." 

So  with  port  wine  and  toilet-water  he  hovered 
about  her;  and  though  such  remedies  could  not  min 
ister  to  grief,  anxiety,  and  doubt,  she  was  grateful  that 
the  marquis  seemed  kinder,  nearer,  than  ever  before, 
and  ventured  to  kiss  his  delicate,  withered  hand  as  it 
approached  her  face  with  his  odoriferous  panacea. 

"  A  woman  has  great  power  of  endurance,  courage, 


220  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

too,  in  some  situations;  but  under  fire,  so  to  speak, 
as  we  are,  it  would  be  undignified,  unwomanly,  to 
betray  no  agitation.  There  are  certain  things  ad 
mirable  in  woman,"  he  remarked  approvingly,  "  but 
impossible  for  us.  We  are  immovable." 

At  this  instant  a  shell  burst  through  the  outer 
wall,  directly  over  the  sofa  where  the  countess  was 
sitting,  and  whizzed  through  the  alcove  window, 
exploding  harmlessly  in  the  courtyard. 

The  immovable  marquis  had  involuntarily  made  a 
surprisingly  agile  spring. 

"That  was  a  narrow  escape,  madame,"  said  the 
abbe*,  approaching  the  countess  quickly,  with  sym 
pathy  and  solicitation,  "  and  certainly  not  adapted  to 
increasing  your  calm,  or  ours,  indeed." 

"  That,"  said  the  Marquis  de  Montauban,  drawing 
up  his  aged  frame  to  its  greatest  possible  height, 
indignation  lending  strength  to  the  broken  voice,  — 
"  that  is  a  damnable  impertinence  ! " 

Nathalie  was  about  to  speak. 

"  My  dear,"  waving  his  hand  with  his  grandest  air, 
"  you  will  pardon,  under  these  extraordinary  circum 
stances,  my  use  of  so  strong  a  word  in  your  presence. 
I  repeat,  whether  that  is  a  German  or  a  French  shell, 
it  is  a  damnable  impertinence  perpetrated  by  canaille. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  221 

I  will  demand  satisfaction.  There  are  some  of  those 
people  out  there  now.  I  will  inquire  what  they  mean 
by  it." 

"  Can  I  not  go  for  you  ? "  The  abbd,  rising  quickly, 
followed  the  incensed  marquis.  "  I  can  surely  express 
your  views  to  them." 

"  No,  my  dear  friend ;  I  thank  you,  no.  You  will 
remain  with  the  countess,  I  beg.  Upon  me  alone 
devolves  the  duty  of  protecting  my  own  house." 

Nathalie  went  to  the  window.     % 

"  Dear  uncle,  you  will  at  least  remember  the  officer 
out  there  is  not  personally  responsible  for  the  shell. 
He  is  looking  at  the  fragments,  and  is  as  much  sur 
prised  as  we  are." 

"I  shall  say  what  I  myself  deem  fitting,"  he 
returned  haughtily,  as  he  left  the  room. 

"  I  hope  he  will  not  excite  and  fatigue  himself," 
began  the  abbe*. 

"  I  think  not.  It  is  Major  von  Schonberg  out  there. 
He  seems  to  be  gentle  and  considerate.  I  have  no 
ticed  his  manner  with  my  uncle." 

"  The  marquis  is  certainly  stronger  than  he  was, 
and  happier.  Do  you  not  think  so  ? " 

"  He  has  much  to  interest  him.  It  is  natural.  He 
watches  the  men  exercise;  he  hears  the  cheerful 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

music ;  lie  sees  the  officers  jumping  the  hedge,  the 
young  soldiers  practising  the  goose-step,  the  others 
skirmishing  by  companies  in  the  fields  and  vineyards. 
They  chat  with  him,  they  amuse  him.  Much  seems 
to  happen  to  him.  The  worst  life  must  be  one  in 
which  nothing  happens.  Then,  no  doubt  at  his  age 
he  forgets." 

"  Forgets  ?     What  ?  " 

"  Who  they  are." 

"  That  seems  an  easy  thing  to  forget." 

"  I  think  not ;  at  least,  not  for  long,"  she  returned 
quickly.  "  When  one  is  young,  one  remembers." 

After  a  pause  he  murmured,  "  Countess,  you  are 
a  brave  woman." 

"  My  uncle  thinks  the  contrary,  as  you  perceived 
just  now,"  she  said  with  unconcern. 

"  A  very  brave  woman,"  he  repeated  softly. 

"  How  those  windows  rattle !  It  grows  to  seem 
worse  than  a  worse  evil." 

"  Madame,  you  have  the  habit  of  considering  me 
uncommunicative  ? " 

"  That,  at  least,  is  quite  true." 

"  You  will  then  smile  at  my  simplicity  if  I  reveal 
my  thought  at  this  moment  ? " 

"  Pray  do  not  attempt  it.     Your  thought   would 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  223 

crush  rne  with  its  weight,  and  the  unusual  effort 
might  be  injurious  to  you." 

He  smiled,  and  continued  gently,  "  I  am  thinking 
how  far  I  may  trust  you." 

"  Not  at  all ;  because  your  trust  would  not  be 
reciprocated.  Who  can  trust  a  distrustful  soul  ? " 

"  Sentiments  and  opinions  are  not  immutable.  We 
see  the  strongest  natures  contradict  themselves." 

"  We  do,"  she  returned  calmly. 

"  What  was  most  sacred  to  us  grows  indifferent 
or  meaningless;  and  what  we  believed  was  most 
remote  from  us  suddenly  becomes  the  nearest  influ 
ence,"  continued  the  abbe"s  gentle,  objectless  tone. 

Madame  de  Vallauris  held  herself  gallantly,  and 
merely  answered :  "  It  is  often  the  case,  I  presume. 
We  are  all  more  or  less  iconoclasts." 

"  Then,  merely  for  the  sake  of  argument,  dear 
madame,  —  it  is  surely  better  to  chat  a  little  in  spite 
of  this  rival  din  of  muskets  and  artillery,  —  why  as 
sume  that  even  you  yourself,  so  consistent  and  stable 
as  you  are,  indeed,  might  not  find  the  sentiments  of 
to-morrow  contradicting  those  of  to-day;  might  not 
acknowledge  a  new  force,  abandon  a  crystallized 
mode  of  reasoning  ? " 

"  Merely  for  the  sake  of  argument,  there  is  nothing 


224  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

of  all  that  which  I  might  not  be  capable  of  doing, 
given,  of  course,  sufficient  inducement,"  she  said 
coolly,  throwing  her  head  back  on  the  cushion  and 
looking  at  hirn  calmly.  Her  hands  were  folded 
lightly  in  her  lap;  she  wore  her  usual  composed 
air. 

From  Le  Bourget  came  on  the  wind  the  sound  of 
rapid  firing,  and  her  heart  was  in  an  agony  of  fear. 
But  not  in  her  extremity  should  this  man  here  have 
any  outward  advantage.  All  the  old  antagonism 
revived.  Her  hero  was  fighting  against  her  land, 
facing  death  from  a  French  bullet.  She  might  this 
instant  be  listening  to  his  death-stroke.  Now,  at 
least,  she  might  acknowledge  to  her  own  soul  without 
reserve  or  doubt  that  he  wras  her  hero.  Beneath  the 
shadow  of  death  love  uprose  royally  and  claimed  his 
own.  But  this  man  had  no  place  or  part  in  her  love 
or  in  her  sorrow.  Let  him  approach,  let  him  surmise 
what  he  would,  she  would  face  him,  and  guard  her 
Holy  of  holies. 

To  her  last  remark  he  had  bowed  his  head  in  ac 
quiescence. 

"  '  Sufficient  inducement  ? '  Naturally,  the  induce 
ment  in  the  case  of  an  honorable  woman  of  your 
strength  of  character  could  be  only  the  sense  of  a 


AULNAY   TOWER.  225 

duty   to   accomplish,   the   reward  of  an    approving 
conscience." 

She  remained  silent  and  motionless. 

"  A  woman  of  your  calibre  never  yields  to  impulse, 
to  the  temptation  of  irregular  wandering  emotions 
or  affections.  If  such  should  assail  her,  —  I  speak 
merely  for  the  sake  of  argument,  —  she  would  conse 
crate  them  by  adapting  them  to  a  good  purpose." 

"  And  how  would  such  a  woman  accomplish  that  ? " 
she  said,  her  eyes  fixed  searchingly  on  him. 

A  sudden  eagerness,  a  nascent  hope,  betrayed  itself 
in  his  face.  With  controlled  warmth  he  answered 
low  :  "  I  could  teach  her  if  she  would  but  trust  me 
implicitly.  I  would  lead  her  through  sacrifices  which 
her  noble  nature  would  shrink  from,  yet  endure  to  a 
heroic  end." 

"  And  what  would  that  end  be  ? " 

"  The  good  of  France." 

Countess  Nathalie  started;  then,  after  a  pause, 
she  answered  by  a  strange  yet  simple  question. 
"  M.  1'Abbe,"  she  said  slowly,  "  are  you  a  good  man  ? " 

"  A  good  man  ?     What  is  that  ? "  he  returned. 

She  made  no  reply. 

"Good?  Goodness  is  relative.  Good?  Who  is 
good?" 

15 


226  AULNAY  TOWER. 

She  was  still  silent. 

"  Yes,  I  am  a  good  man,  as  good  men  go,"  he  re 
sumed  with  conviction.  "  That  I  do  not  attain  my 
ideal  is  my  sorrow.  My  sense  of  imperfection  weighs 
me  down.  But  I  do  nothing  that  I  cannot  reconcile 
with  my  conscience." 

"  I  believe  you,"  said  the  countess.  "  That  has 
always  been  my  difficulty."  As  if  she  had  reached  a 
supreme  moment  whose  inner  flame  of  truth  burned 
all  subterfuge  away,  as  if  she  too,  like  her  German 
lover,  were  under  the  fierce  fire  of  the  enemy,  she 
answered,  opposing  him  in  loyalty  :  "  The  elasticity 
of  your  conscience  has  been  my  life-long  curse.  As 
a  girl,  I  suffered  from  it.  To-day,  a  woman,  I  repu 
diate  it.  Come  life,  come  death,  I  will  not  be  guided 
by  you.  You  are  a  wise  man,  M.  1'Abbe ;  your 
dark  hints  I  do  not  pretend  to  understand.  But 
when  you  count  upon  me  in  any  respect  this  day, 
you  err  in  your  calculations.  So  true  as  we  hear  the 
sounds  of  battle  as  if  it  were  at  our  own  doors,  I  re 
nounce  you  and  all  your  unknown  plans.  Whatever 
you  may  have  in  view,  you  will  create  no  Jeanne 
d'Arc  at  Aulnay ;  and  I  do  not  need  your  interpreta 
tion  of  my  duty  to  my  beloved  land." 

"  Madame,"  he  said  with  his  usual  gentleness,  "  it 


AULNAY  TOWER.  227 

would  perhaps  be  advisable  if  I  should  go  to  find  the 
marquis.  As  to  our  conversation,  the  excitement  of 
to-day  is  sufficient  excuse  for  any  misconception." 

"  There  is  no  misconception,"  she  replied  quickly, 
with  a  woman's  last  word ;  but  he  was  gone. 

The  struggle  at  Le  Bourget  continued  until  nighk 
fall,  when  the  report  was  brought  to  Aulnay  that 
the  Germans  had  retaken  the  village,  but  with  a 
loss  of  five  hundred  men.  "And  there's  no  harm 
done  to  our  beautiful  dears,"  added  Manette  in 
ecstasy,  this  time  unreproved. 

That  night  Countess  Nathalie  for  the  first  time 
since  Nordenfels  had  gone  looked  at  the  rose  from 
Vert  Galant,  and  looking,  kissed  it  with  tears  of 
thankfulness  and  pain. 

On  account  of  this  action  on  the  left  wing  of  the 
Prussian  Guard,  further  dislocations  were  ordered. 
The  positions  at  Blanc  Mesnil  and  Duguy  were 
strengthened  by  the  detachment  from  Aulnay.  Ma 
dame  de  Vallauris  heard  the  Prussians  were  to  go, 
knew  others  would  necessarily  come.  It  was  all  like 
a  hideous  dream  to  her,  —  a  kind  of  infernal  machin 
ery  rolling  on  incessantly.  What  mattered  it  who 
came,  who  went  ?  They  were  all  Germans.  There  was 
Paris  holding  out.  Somewhere  in  this  great  mystery 


228  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

of  life  and  war  was  a  man  with  earnest  eyes  who 
had  won  her  boundless  love;  he  was  gone,  and  she 
would  never  see  him  again.  Had  he  come  other 
wise,  all  her  wishes,  all  her  hopes,  her  very  life,  had 
centred  in  him.  Now  she  had  no  wishes  more,  no 
hopes ;  and  life  was  a  dull,  barren  thing,  and  the 
sooner  it  was  over  the  better. 

Musing  thus,  one  day  she  gave  no  heed  to  the 
fife  and  drum  and  the  marching.  She  refused  to 
appear  when  the  Prussians  begged  to  make  their 
adieus.  Alone  in  her  little  room  she  sat  working 
busily,  as  a  happy  woman  works,  and  her  face  was 
quiet,  not  sadder  than  before. 

There  seemed  to  be  a  great  commotion  in  the 
village.  What  mattered  that?  Why  should  one 
listen  in  pandemonium  to  a  sound  more  or  less  ? 
Yet  in  the  martial  music  approaching  was  a  clear 
note  of  triumph  that  moved  her  strangely.  She 
dropped  her  acacia-pattern,  threw  up  her  head  and 
listened.  A  familiar  joyous  strain  floated  up  to  her 
and  made  her  heart  beat  fast,  for  she  had  often 
heard  it  when  the  Saxon  grenadiers  were  quartered  at 
Aulnay.  "  How  cruel  it  all  is  ! "  she  thought.  "  There 
is  no  mercy,  no  forgetfulness." 

Manette  sprang  into  the  room  with   one  bound. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  229 

"  No,  madame,  no  !  This  is  impossible !  This  is 
unheard  of !  "  she  cried. 

"  Is  my  uncle  ill  ? "  demanded  Madame  de  Yal- 
lauris,  alarmed. 

"The  marquis  never  was  better.  But  this  ar 
rangement,  madame,  this  turn  of  affairs,  this  ap 
propriateness  1 " 

The  countess  stared  at  her,  comprehending  nothing. 

"If  madame  will  go  down  herself,"  gasped  Ma- 
nette  with  a  heroism  of  self-restraint,  "I  could  ex 
plain  ;  I  am  dying  to  explain,  but  I  forbear.  Madame 
must  go  herself  to  meet  the  dtnodment.  0  just 
Heaven  !  Oh !  oh  ! " 

"Is  there  really  nothing  the  matter  with  my 
uncle  ? " 

"  Madame  must  see  for  herself.  My  feelings  over 
power  me.  No,  the  world  is  not  all  bad,  when  such 
heavenly  things  can  happen ;  and  nobody  need  ever 
say  anything  against  war  to  me ! " 

Leaning  against  the  wall,  the  little  maid  closed 
her  eyes  and  smiled  rapturously. 

"  Eeally,  Manette  ! "  expostulated  the  countess ;  but 
rose,  nevertheless,  yielding  to  the  girl's  excitement, 
and  outstretched  hand  pointing  and  waving  in  wild 
enthusiasm  towards  the  open  door. 


230  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  If  madame  does  not  go  down-stairs  at  once,  I  shall 
burst,"  exclaimed  Manette.  "Oh,  what  a  moment! 
I  myself  could  not  have  arranged  anything  so  per 
fect.  Just  Heaven  !  What  an  artistic  combination  !  " 
she  murmured,  as  Madame  de  Vallauris,  wondering 
and  somewhat  alarmed,  passed  down  the  narrow 
stairway.  Manette  peered  after  her  and  listened. 

As  the  countess  went  down,  some  one  was  coming 
up  the  lower  staircase  two  steps  at  once.  In  the 
corridor  they  met  face  to  face.  She  grasped  the 
baluster  in  sudden  terror,  and  grew  pale  as  death ; 
but  the  other  sprang  forward  and  held  her  hands  in 
his  strong  clasp,  and  in  his  gladness  smiled  like  the 
young  sun-god.  She,  looking  up,  spoke  no  word,  but 
left  her  hands  in  his,  and  in  her  eyes  he  read  his 
welcome ;  and  a  radiance  that  no  one  had  ever  seen 
in  her  face  dawned  gloriously  for  him. 

The  Prussians  had  moved  on,  and  the  Saxon  grena 
diers  by  a  curious  chance  again  occupied  Aulnay. 
This  happens  to  be  an  historical  fact ;  for  the  most 
reckless  and  inconsequent  novelist  would  never  dare 
to  send  battalions  marching  east  and  west  simply  to 
bring  a  pair  of  lovers  together.  But  life  is  more  fan 
tastic  than  fiction;  and  General  Trochu  did  it  all. 
Had  he  not  just  at  this  period  commanded  sorties 


AULNAY  TOWER.  231 

from  the  defences,  there  would  have  been  no  changes 
of  quarters  in  the  Prussian  line ;  consequently  Max 
Nordenfels  would  not  have  been  standing  in  the  cor 
ridor  of  the  chateau  at  Aulnay,  holding  the  hands  of 
the  lovely  Countess  de  Vallauris,  and  gazing  at  her 
speechless  with  delight. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  French  along  the  whole  line  of  the  Fourth 
Army  now  began  to  display  remarkable  energy  and 
renewed  strength.  An  ably  organized  signal-system, 
with  colored  lights  in  the  night,  communicated  with 
the  forts,  which  were  supplied  with  guns  of  the  heav 
iest  calibre. 

From  time  to  time  a  signal  towards  evening  would 
be  followed  the  same  night  by  an  artillery  attack,  in 
which  the  whole  line  of  foreposts  was  swept  simul 
taneously  with  a  hail  of  bullets  from  all  the  French 
forts  and  advance  batteries.  Alarms  in  the  night  and 
feigned  sorties  were  constant,  and  the  German  troops 
were  granted  no  rest. 

One  day  early  in  November,  among  the  morning 
reports  at  headquarters  at  Clichy  came  the  announce 
ment  that  a  sentinel  on  the  Canal  field-watch  near 
Bondy  had  observed  during  the  night  light-signals 
which  seemed  to  come  from  the  direction  of  Aulnay. 

The  commander  of  the  regiment  at  Aulnay  was  at 


AULNAY  TOWER.  233 

once  informed  of  this  and  instructed  to  take  every 
precaution.  The  Tower  was  accordingly  closely 
watched  at  night,  and  a  special  guard  was  placed  at 
the  park  gates. 

At  the  same  time  Colonel  von  Linden  wrote  pri 
vately  to  General  von  Aarenhorst  that  it  was  an  utter 
impossibility  for  the  family  of  the  Marquis  de  Mon- 
tauban  to  have  the  remotest  connection  with  the 
treacherous  signals,  and  indeed  he  himself  entertained 
the  conviction  that  no  signals  whatever  had  proceeded 
from  Aulnay.  What  was  so  deceptive  as  a  red  light 
showing  itself  somewhere  in  space  in  the  night  to  a 
weary  and  excited  soldier  ?  The  colonel  stated  in 
terms  of  positive  enthusiasm  that  he  had  watched 
the  family  now  too  long  to  be  in  any  danger  of  error, 
and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  trusted  them, 
one  and  all,  implicitly.  He  must  indeed  appeal  to 
the  general's  own  impression  of  their  harmlessness. 
So  far  from  subjecting  them  to  the  slightest  surveil 
lance,  he,  the  colonel,  no  longer  confined  them  to  the 
limits  of  court  and  park,  but  freely  allowed  them  long 
walks  at  their  own  discretion. 

All  that  they  did,  indeed,  could  without  effort  be 
followed.  The  marquis,  charming  and  frail  old  gen 
tleman,  mentally  as  well  as  physically  enfeebled,  was 


234  AULNAY  TOWER. 

the  most  harmless  person  in  existence.  He  seldom 
crossed  the  threshold  of  the  chateau.  But  Madame 
de  Vallauris  went  freely  wherever  she  would ;  he  hav 
ing  long  since  granted  her  permission,  at  her  earnest 
prayer,  to  visit  the  wounded,  of  which  there  was  al 
ways  now  a  goodly  number  in  the  village.  She  min 
istered  to  them  all,  German  and  French,  like  an  angel 
of  mercy;  was,  with  a  couple  of  Sisters  less  expert 
and  tender  than  she,  an  immense  aid  to  the  surgeons. 
The  slightest  reflection  upon  this  beautiful  and  good 
woman,  who  had  borne  the  existing  inconveniences 
with  noble  patience  and  a  gentleness  that  had  won  all 
hearts,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  soldier,  would 
seem  like  assailing  the  honor  of  a  saint.  As  for  the 
abbe*,  he  often  accompanied  Madame  de  Vallauris  in 
her  errands  of  mercy,  and  he  too  in  manifold  instances 
had  proved  himself  helpful  and  devoted.  He  was  on 
friendly  terms  with  one  of  the  surgeons,  and  took 
long  walks  with  him,  sometimes  as  far  as  the  field- 
watch  ;  but  the  abbd's  whole  course  of  life  was  stu 
dious  and  harmless.  Besides  his  religious  duties,  his 
books,  and  his  friend  the  marquis,  he  had  neither 
interest  nor  occupation.  In  short,  the  reports  of 
such  signals,  so  far  as  Aulnay  was  concerned,  must 
be  entirely  erroneous. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  235 

That  this  was  indeed  possible,  General  von  Aaren- 
horst  was  forced  to  admit.  The  forepost  service  for 
three  months  was  now  rendered  still  more  exciting 
and  difficult  by  the  renewed  activity  of  the  French. 
With  the  outpost  duties  and  the  field- watch,  the  men 
had  scarcely  a  quiet  night,  and  the  effect  upon  the 
nervous  system  of  the  common  soldier  was  very  per 
ceptible.  Exaggerations,  in  fact  the  purest  fictions 
growing  out  of  night  and  darkness,  were  formally  re 
ported  by  excitable  individuals,  so  that  extreme  cau 
tion  was  incumbent  upon  those  in  command.  Indeed, 
as  General  von  Aarenhorst  wearily  thought,  to  distin 
guish  between  the  false  and  true,  one  needed  super 
human  wisdom  and  foresight. 

His  position  was  no  sinecure  at  that  time,  —  in  three 
weeks  not  once  able  to  undress  himself  and  go  to  sleep 
like  a  Christian ;  lying  half  clothed  on  his  bed,  and 
scarcely  closing  his  eyes,  when  an  orderly  would  enter 
announcing  an  attack. 

Sometimes  the  general,  roused  up  repeatedly  in 
one  night,  would  go  out  to  ascertain  the  veritable  con 
dition  of  things,  and  riding  down  the  dark  icy  hill, 
his  horse  slipping  and  plunging  in  every  direction, 
was  himself  most  painfully  in  doubt.  Simulated  at 
tacks  were  incessant,  and  often  the  whole  line  was  one 


236  AULNAY  TOWER. 

blaze  of  light.  Should  he  advance  ?  If  superfluous, 
they  would  say  in  the  rear,  "  What  sort  of  general  is 
that !  Leaves  us  no  rest,  routs  us  out  for  nothing ! 
A  little  fire  excites  him,  it  appears."  And  should  he 
not,  they  would  say,  "  Able  general  that !  What  more 
does  he  require  ?  An  orderly  was  sent  three  times  in 
one  night  to  warn  him.  There  was  n't  the  slightest 
doubt,  and  yet  he  did  not  move." 

Well  aware,  then,  of  the  manifold  chances  of  error 
as  to  place,  direction,  and  distance  of  the  signals, 
General  von  Aarenhorst  was  inclined  to  share  von 
Linden's  views.  The  general,  too,  entertained  the 
highest  esteem  for  the  family,  and  the  bare  sugges 
tion  of  treachery  on  their  part  was  as  repugnant  to 
him  as  improbable. 

As  nothing  whatever  of  a  suspicious  nature  was 
discovered  at  Aulnay,  after  eight  or  ten  days  the 
watch  at  the  park  gate  was  countermanded.  The 
general  could  ill  afford  to  waste  the  energies  of  the 
men  at  this  critical  time. 

The  weather  had  now  grown  cold  and  raw.  Dense 
autumn  fogs  obscured  the  landscape.  The  foliage  had 
fallen.  The  nights  brought  heavy  frosts.  In  quarters 
the  troops  suffered  almost  more  severely  from  the  cold 
than  at  the  outposts.  The  small  village  houses  had 


AULNAY  TOWER.  237 

insufficient  means  of  providing  against  the  discom 
forts  of  this  extremely  low  temperature.  Moreover, 
the  narrow  chimneys  were  speedily  clogged  with  soot, 
all  the  more  as  the  men  had  no  dry  wood  to  burn. 
They  finally  availed  themselves,  in  their  great  need, 
of  doors  and  furniture,  and  formed  chimney-sweep 
detachments  to  prevent  accident  by  fire. 

The  chateau  grew  steadily  more  and  more  shabby, 
the  curious  life  within  more  natural  to  the  inmates. 
By  the  great  fireplace  in  the  library  many  an  evening 
was  cheerful  with  chat  and  laughter,  and  many  a 
serious  talk  took  place  there.  It  was  a  home-like, 
pleasant  room,  as  a  choice  library  must  always  be  to 
an  ardent  lover  of  books.  With  its  genial  associa 
tions,  its  subtle  fragrance  of  the  past,  and  the  grand 
old  friends  of  all  times  looking  down  from  the  shelves, 
one  finds  solace  and  refuge  under  their  immortal  segis, 
and  temporary,  restless  ills  vanish  in  the  calm  of 
their  great  and  noble  thoughts  and  in  the  vastness 
of  their  infinite  endeavor.  So  the  library  became  the 
natural  resort  of  the  quieter  officers,  while  others  were 
making  merry  with  cards  and  wine  in  their  own  quar 
ters,  and  the  marquis  was  almost  never  without  one 
or  more  for  his  inevitable  game.  He  had  welcomed 
the  return  of  the  Saxons  as  if  they  were  old  friends, 


238  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

and  they  had  rejoiced  greatly  at  their  good  fortune. 
Their  Aulnay  quarters  were  the  pleasantest  they 
had  known ;  and  they  often  said  to  Madame  de  Yal- 
lauris,  "  One  feels  more  human  here,  less  like  a 
brute."  Gerhardt  told  her  honestly,  that  when  he 
came  back  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  fair  hair  and 
black  dress  at  a  distance,  he  felt  like  saying  his  pray 
ers,  and  he  was  by  no  means  sure  to  whom.  What 
Nordenfels  told  her  with  his  deep-set  eyes,  with  his 
chivalrous  manner,  with  his  voice,  even  in  the  most 
conventional  salutations,  and  with  words,  —  indeed, 
whenever  she  gave  him  the  shadow  of  an  oppor 
tunity,  was  evident  enough  to  the  most  careless  ob 
server.  That  it  was  a  serious  thing  with  him,  every 
comrade  knew;  and  one  by  one  they  fell  back  in 
their  efforts  to  gain  her  favor,  and  tacitly  made  way 
for  him.  Or  perhaps  Nordenfels  after  his  return, 
emboldened  by  her  first  involuntary  welcome,  calmly 
made  way  for  himself,  without  the  least  consideration 
of  his  comrades'  presence  or  desires.  Certainly  he 
assumed  in  his  modest  but  persistent  way  various 
rights  or  privileges  to  which  she  grew  accustomed,  as 
a  woman  will,  and  which  were  dear  to  her,  although 
she  gave  no  sign.  He  secured  the  place  next  to  hers 
at  dinner.  "  Why  not  I  as  well  as  another  ? "  he  had 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  239 

not  unreasonably  asked  himself,  and  arranged  that 
matter  very  speedily  with  old  Jean  and  his  own 
Bursch  the  day  of  his  return  to  the  chateau. 
Through  the  valuable  aid  of  that  eminent  tactician 
Manette,  who  deserves  public  mention  in  the  annals 
of  the  Franco-German  war,  he  knew  with  admirable 
exactness  and  celerity  whenever  the  countess  in 
tended  to  take  a  walk,  to  visit  a  wounded  soldier,  — 
in  short,  had  any  plan  whatever  which,  by  adroit 
stretching,  would  admit  of  him.  He  was  very  active 
and  busy  in  those  days,  often  absent  long,  often 
sorely  fatigued  after  a  succession  of  arduous  duties ; 
but  he  succeeded,  nevertheless,  in  gaining  marvel 
lously  frequent  chances  of  being  near  her ;  and  it  is 
hard  to  say  which  he  pursued  with  more  zeal  and 
determination,  love  or  war. 

They  talked  much  together,  —  of  books,  of  passing 
things,  of  life.  They  found  each  other  sympathetic 
and  delightful,  which  is  no  great  wonder,  as  they 
were  in  love ;  but  they  entertained  each  other  vastly, 
and  were  intellectually  charming  and  stimulating  the 
one  to  the  other,  which  blissful  lovers  not  always 
are,  but  which  is  surely  a  most  desirable  condition  of 
things  when  two  people  intend  to  be  life-long  com 
panions,  and  since  it  is  a  demonstrable  fact  that 


240  AULNAY  TOWER. 

the  fiftieth  kiss  is  not  quite  like  the  first.  Countess 
Nathalie's  life-long  companion  Max  Nordenfels  as 
suredly  meant  to  be. 

"  She  loves  me,  —  not  as  I  love  her,  for  I  worship 
her,  —  but  still  she  loves  me,  or  she  would  not  have 
been  so  exquisite  to  me  as  she  was  in  the  park ;  she 
would  not  have  looked  so  glorious  when  we  met 
again.  And  if  she  loves  me,  what  shall  stand  in 
our  way  ?  The  war  will  come  to  an  end  soon," 
he  decided  with  youthful  confidence.  "  Then  I  may 
speak ;  then  she  will  listen ;  then  she  will  be  mine, 
for  she  loves  me,  she  loves  me!"  his  heart  cried 
in  exultation  and  thankfulness.  "What  is  a  coun 
try,  what  is  a  prejudice,  since  she  loves  me  ?  Love 
can  leap  from  land  to  land,  and  tear  down  every 
barrier." 

Nights  as  he  rode  through  cold  and  darkness  with 
his  despatches  to  and  from  Vert  Galant  or  Clichy,  he 
was  gloriously  happy  and  warm,  as  if  spring  sunshine 
lay  in  his  path  instead  of  chill  sleet  and  storm  and 
danger ;  and  no  duty  seemed  hard  to  him,  so  full  of 
light  and  gladness  was  his  spirit.  And  always  he 
knew  on  his  return,  if  it  were  evening,  she  would 
be  sitting  in  her  low  chair  in  the  library,  and  would 
look  up  quietly  and  say  :  "  Ah,  Herr  von  Nordenfels, 


AULNAY  TOWER.  241 

are  you  back  ?  It  is  a  bad  night,  I  fear."  For  the 
nights  were  mostly  bad  just  then;  and  each  time  she 
would  look  more  beautiful,  more  precious,  more  dear 
than  even  his  ardent  fancy  pictured  her,  and  more 
worth  a  man's  striving  for  and  winning  for  his  own, 
whatever  stood  in  the  way.  And  what  did  stand  in 
the  way  ?  Only  a  trifle  of  a  war  that  could  not  last 
much  longer,  —  that  might  end  any  day.  So  he  was 
waiting  for  the  war  to  end,  with  a  mighty,  throbbing 
impatience ;  for  he  knew  it  was  useless  to  urge  her 
now,  and  he  was  tender  of  her  scruples,  respected 
them,  indeed,  and  understood  why  she  persistently 
avoided  a  tete-a-tete  with  him.  He  saw  her  go  her 
way  among  all  the  admiring  men  with,  it  seemed  to 
him,  the  least  coquetry  that  ever  a  woman  had.  He 
saw  her  winning  chivalrous  devotion  from  even  the 
careless  and  frivolous,  and  rousing  that  rare  and  beau 
tiful  sentiment,  a  simple  and  pure  affection,  from  more 
than  one. 

Since  he  had  discerned  that  glad  look  of  love  in 
her  eyes,  there  was  no  room  in  his  heart  for  doubt. 
Before,  he  had  been  uncertain  and  therefore  uncom 
fortable  now  and  then, — not  quite  happy  when  others 
so  much  as  spoke  her  name.  Now  it  seemed  but 
natural  they  should  offer  her  their  tribute  and  their 
16 


242  AULNAY  TOWER. 

homage,  as  they  did,  to  the  last  man.  If  he,  approach 
ing,  quietly  absorbed  her  attention  as  soon  as  possible, 
it  was  through  no  fear  of  them,  but  from  other  easily 
comprehended  motives. 

Petty  jealousy  seemed  too  mean  and  selfish  a  feel 
ing  to  mar  so  great  a  love.  He  looked  in  her  pure 
soul  that  day  as  in  crystal  depths.  With  a  strange 
and  sacred  joy  he  felt  it  was  his  twin  soul  revealed 
in  one  unguarded  moment ;  his  own,  now,  for  all  time. 
Perfect  truth  dwelt  in  those  eyes,  and  for  her  purity 
he  would  have  staked  his  life.  So  if  he  longed  with 
a  lover's  warmth  for  the  future  and  for  freedom,  he 
could  yet  restrain  himself  and  generously  consider 
her  position,  for  she  herself  had  given  him  the  right 
to  hope.  He  did  his  duties  manfully,  and  loved  her 
manfully;  and  if  there  were  no  tete-a-tetes,  little 
Forstenau,  who  oftenest  sat  near  them,  was  no  ob 
stacle  whatever  to  an  explicit  interchange  of  senti 
ment  upon  all  imaginable  subjects  apt  to  be  discussed 
by  two  lovers, — except,  indeed,  love  and  war.  These 
two  themes,  surcharging  the  atmosphere,  were  all  the 
more  felt  for  the  silence. 

There  was  one  single  and  oft-recurring  fact  which 
puzzled  him,  and  which  he  found  not  perfectly  agree 
able,  he  could  scarcely  have  told  why.  The  Abbe*  de 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  243 

Navailles  unquestionably  exerted  some  influence  upon 
the  countess;  at  the  same  time  he  felt,  with  his 
lover's  instinct,  that  the  abbe  was  not  a  person  whom 
she  regarded  with  unqualified  favor.  But  one  circum 
stance  was,  nevertheless,  undeniable:  in  the  abbe's 
immediate  presence  Madame  de  Yallauris,  however 
freely  she  had  been  conversing,  relapsed  into  reserve, 
if  not  silence  altogether. 

ISTordenfels  disliked  the  abbe  roundly.  "  What  in 
the  deuce  does  he  mean  by  coming  into  a  room  where 
people  are  discussing  some  general  subject,  and  being 
a  restraint  ?  Has  he  begged  her  not  to  talk  with 
me  ? "  Wherein  Nordenfels  did  the  abbe  curious 
injustice,  for  he  had  begged  exactly  the  contrary. 
"Never  mind,"  thought  Nordenfels,  "she'll  tell  me 
sometime;  or  I  shall  have  forgotten  by  that  time, 
and  shall  not  wish  to  know.  We  shall  have  more 
important  things  to  talk  about.  We  shall  have 
all  this  lost  time  to  make  up."  Still,  whenever 
the  abbe  drew  near  and  the  countess  grew  silent, 
Nordenfels  speculated  more  or  less,  and  felt  rather 
savage. 

Madame  de  Vallauris,  in  spite  of  principles,  preju 
dices,  and  struggles,  was  never  so  happy  in  her  life  as 
at  present.  Her  struggles  had  indeed  ceased,  and  she 


244  AULNAY  TOWER. 

was  unconsciously  drifting.  She  believed  it  her  duty 
to  avoid  a  private  interview  with  Nordenfels,  and  was 
grateful  that  he  tacitly  acquiesced,  —  at  all  events,  that 
he  respected  her  desire.  That  it  would  all  come  to 
an  end  some  day,  she  was  aware  ;  so  would  the  world. 
Meanwhile  her  present  joy  was  vast.  It  was  wonder 
ful  that  he  had  returned  into  her  life,  and  this  she 
felt  no  less  as  the  days  went  on.  She  had  bade  him 
farewell  forever.  In  her  thoughts  a  thousand  times 
she  had  pictured  him  cold  and  dead.  But  he  came 
back  to  her,  living,  warm,  and  full  of  strength,  rich 
in  youth  and  love.  Should  she,  then,  not  rejoice  ? 
He  was  great  and  good.  Should  she  not  be  glad  that 
his  presence  for  a  little  time  glorified  her  life,  —  and 
that,  indeed,  however  he  came,  whenever  he  should 
go  ?  So  she  reasoned,  when  she  reasoned,  but  feeling 
him  near  she  reasoned  no  more;  and  meeting  the 
glance  of  his  honest  eyes,  which  had  become  so 
familiar  and  beloved,  she  was  simply  happy,  though 
parting  stared  them  in  the  face,  and  the  terrors  of 
war  were  raging  around  them.  It  was  a  strange,  sad 
time.  Every  day  her  heart  was  sore  for  the  woes  of 
humanity ;  and,  shrinking  with  pity  and  horror,  nerv 
ing  herself  to  be  calm,  she  saw  ugly  sights,  heard 
the  groan  of  strong  men  in  pain,  and  with  her  quiet 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  245 

courage  and  reasonableness  gave  active  help  on  every 
side. 

Yet  amid  the  tumult  and  the  bloodshed,  the  mad 
ness  of  brother  slaying  brother,  a  fair  white  temple 
slowly  rose  for  two  quiet  spirits.  In  its  stillness  they 
knelt  apart. 


CHAPTER  XL 

SOMETIMES  Countess  Nathalie  wondered  if  there 
would  ever  be  any  end  to  this  bizarre  kind  of  life 
she  was  leading ;  if  ever  again  Aulnay  could  tran 
quillize  itself  and  resume  its  rusticity  ;  if  the  roll  of 
drums  and  the  bugle-call,  the  tramp  of  men  at  arms, 
the  rhythm  of  horses'  hoofs  in  rapid  movement,  and 
the  clank  of  steel  would  not  linger  about  the  Tower 
like  ghostly  voices  in  a  haunted  house.  The  Tower 
had  seen  so  much  since  the  old  days  when  it  calmly 
watched  the  ripening  fields,  and  the  village  was  at 
peace,  and  nothing  happened!  Nearer  and  nearer 
now  the  waves  of  war  were  creeping  about  its  base. 
Gray  and  impassive,  it  surveyed  the  enemy's  line; 
and  its  clock,  that  once  had  marked  the  quiet  hours 
of  village  toil  and  sleep,  was  counting  now  how  long 
heroic  Paris  would  resist  and  endure. 

Ever  nearer  to  the  Tower  crept  the  fierce  red  waves. 
Countess  Nathalie  felt  in  the  lurid  atmosphere  the 
presage  of  more  woe.  On  the  faces,  in  the  voices 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  247 

around  her  she  read  it.  A  livelier  energy  was  mani 
fest,  there  were  frequent  earnest  conversations  among 
the  officers,  arid  an  evident  anticipation  of  active  duty. 
Wounded  men  from  the  foreposts  and  patrol  were  con 
stantly  brought  into  the  village,  and  the  boom  of  the 
cannon  seemed  nearer  and  more  frequent. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ? "  she  asked  the  abbe 
suddenly  one  day.  "This  something  indefinable  in 
the  air,  —  this  expectation,  preparation,  these  indis 
tinct  omens  and  rumors  ?  " 

He  hesitated  an  instant.  "  It  means  —  war, 
madame,"  he  said  simply,  and  read  on.  He  scarcely 
raised  his  eyes  from  his  book  in  those  days. 

Madame  de  Vallauris  said  no  more.  Later,  she 
knew  what  the  messages  of  the  air  signified.  It 
was  the  close  of  November,  and  events  were  occur 
ring  of  which  the  world,  comfortably  reading  the 
newspaper  announcements,  expressed  its  easily  formed 
opinions,  awarding  praise  and  blame  with  after-dinner 
fluency  to  hard-pushed  generals  and  overworked  troops 
on  both  sides. 

Like  stones  thrown  into  a  clear  lake,  those  events 
in  ever-widening  circles  reached  distant  shores. 
Suabiari,  Saxon,  and  Prussian  homes  wept  for  their 
dearest  and  best,  or  rang  joy-bells  for  the  safety  and 


248  AULNAY  TOWER. 

honorable  promotion  of  their  gallant  sons;  many  a 
happy  French  fireside  was  darkened  forever,  many 
a  young  heart  made  desolate. 

The  French  had  established  on  Mont  Avron,  oppo 
site  Baincy,  numerous  batteries,  and  gradually  pro 
vided  them  with  seventy-six  guns  of  the  heaviest 
calibre,  which  were  doing  much  damage  along  the 
whole  Saxon  line  from  Chelles  to  Livry.  The  blunt- 
headed  summit,  lower  than  the  ridge  crowned  by  Forts 
Noisy  and  Eosny,  wreathed  itself  from  time  to  time 
in  white  smoke  against  the  blue  horizon,  making  so 
lovely  a  picture  that  it  was  difficult  to  realize  the 
smoke  was  the  signal  of  a  deadly  missile  hurled 
through  the  calm  air  to  whiz  straight  on  to  some 
brave  fellow,  tear  his  stalwart  body  in  pieces,  and 
strike  down  the  bread-winner  of  a  family.  The  Ger 
mans  hated  Mont  Avron,  and  with  bitter  reason. 

The  30th  of  November,  General  Ducrot,  with  the 
Second  French  Army  of  ninety  thousand  men,  led  the 
celebrated  attack  against  the  Wiirtemberg  and  Saxon 
position,  southeast  of  Paris.  In  and  around  the  vil 
lages  of  Champigny,  Brie,  and  Villiers  a  bloody  drama 
was  enacted,  a  less  important  attack  being  made  at 
the  same  time  northeast  of  Paris.  The  excitement 
at  Aulnay  was  boundless,  but  the  abbe's  face,  as  he 


AULNAY  TOWER.  249 

went  his  quiet  and  harmless  way,  was  luminous  and 
beautiful,  Countess  Nathalie  observed.  After  the 
terrible  battle  of  Villiers,  General  Ducrot  was  driven 
back  within  the  French  fortifications.  The  fact  was 
freely  spoken  of  at  Aulnay,  that  the  French,  though 
they  had  inflicted  upon  the  enemy  as  heavy  a  loss 
as  they  themselves  had  suffered,  had  yet  failed 
utterly  in  their  end,  —  to  break  the  iron  girdle  round 
Paris.  Then  for  the  first  time  she  reflected  that 
the  abbe  seemed  to  possess  a  marvellous  prescience. 
Not  that  he  ever  revealed  his  knowledge  or  his  hopes. 
His  words,  indeed,  were  his  trained  servants.  But 
when  one  sits  silent  hour  after  hour  in  the  same 
room  with  a  fellow-being,  and  times  are  troublous,  and 
the  air  is  charged  with  strange  portent,  one's  mere 
instincts  become  at  last  keener,  and  one  reads  aright 
a  momentary  pallor  or  lowering  of  the  eyelids,  a 
cough,  a  smile.  Sometimes,  it  may  be,  if  we  were 
all  dumb  we  should  comprehend  one  another  better; 
and  like  dogs,  with  their  wistful,  alert  eyes  and 
sensitive  ears,  arrive  oftener  at  the  truer  meaning, 
the  very  heart  of  things. 

At  all  events,  Nathalie  felt  that  while  often  misled 
by  the  abbe's  well-turned  phrases,  she  was  beginning 
to  interpret,  by  some  unconscious  magnetic  process 


AULNAY   TOWER. 

his  luminous  paleness,  his  eloquent  eyes,  the  very  in 
tensity  of  his  quiet.  Joy,  hope,  disappointment,  unless 
her  intuition  was  utterly  at  fault,  he  revealed  thus 
tacitly  and  always  prematurely.  By  the  time  positive 
news  reached  the  chateau,  all  his  soul-flashes  had  van 
ished,  and  he  had  relapsed  into  his  usual  perfect  calm. 
What  did  he  know,  whom  did  he  see,  what  means 
had  he  of  informing  himself  of  a  French  sortie,  of 
a  French  gain  or  loss  ?  His  life  was  the  life  he 
had  always  led  for  years,  less  influenced  than  any 
other  at  the  chateau  by  the  alarm  and  continuance 
of  war.  Pale  and  studious,  dwelling  in  the  atmos 
phere  of  prayer  and  books,  he  wras  unchanged.  Who 
besides  the  Germans  approached  the  chateau  ?  Only 
the  two  fishermen;  and  Pierre  and  Antoine  were 
simple,  ignorant  men,  recognized  as  harmless  by  the 
Germans,  and  allowed  to  pass  freely  to  and  fro  in 
the  twilight  as  at  noonday.  But  why  had  the  abbe 
advocated  a  free  intercourse  with  the  officers  ?  For 
what  end  would  he  use  friendliness  on  her  part  and 
any  influence  she  could  gain?  What  signified  his 
glowing  words  when  he  alluded  to  service  and  sacri 
fice  ?  Surely  she  had  heard  aright.  But  no,  she 
was  nervous  and  fanciful,  and  pursued  by  her  old 
mistrust.  If  the  abbe  took  white  wine  instead  of 


AULNAY  TOWER.  251 

red,  or  changed  his  seat  to  another  window,  she  was 
apt  to  suspect  him  of  ulterior  ends  and  aims,  she 
acknowledged.  That  he  was  heart  and  soul  with 
gallant  Paris  she  knew  well.  So  was  she,  with  every 
atom  of  her  being.  As  for  knowing  more  than 
others,  and  knowing  it  first,  it  was  impossible.  It 
was  a  delusion  on  her  part.  Ah,  no !  No  carrier- 
pigeons  with  news  from  the  beleaguered  city  had 
found  their  way  to  the  chateau  and  the  abbe*.  Once, 
indeed,  one  had  flown  by.  The  countess  saw  it,  and 
held  her  breath  with  a  woman's  tenderness  for  the 
innocent  dove  and  a  patriot's  prayer  for  its  mission, 
as  a  soldier  aimed  at  it  and  missed. 

December  was  upon  them,  and  still  Paris  held 
out.  The  Marquis  de  Montauban  began  to  take 
a  certain  pride  in  the  tenacity  and  strength  of  the 
city,  as  he  would  have  enjoyed  a  display  of  bravery 
from  even  an  unruly  child.  If  he  did  not  uncon 
ditionally  approve  of  Paris,  still  Paris  was  French, 
and  valiant.  He  now  introduced  a  facetious  tone 
in  his  conversation,  and  made  light  jokes  with  the 
officers  as  to  the  length  of  time  he  should  have  the 
pleasure  of  entertaining  them,  assuring  them  they 
would  be  welcome  as  long  as  they  enjoyed  it.  He 
seemed  thoroughly  reconciled  to  his  surroundings, 


252  AULNAY  TOWER. 

and  entertained  the  pleasing  conviction  that  what 
ever  havoc  war  might  make,  he  had  remained  master 
of  his  chateau,  and  the  most  influential  being  within 
its  walls.  At  seventy  years  of  age  this  was  a  com 
fort,  and  added  zest  to  the  dry  ceremonies  of  his 
toilet,  breakfast,  and  daily  plans. 

Manette  pursued  her  original  tactics,  combined, 
arranged,  advanced,  and  retreated  with  flying  colors 
and  huge  satisfaction,  but  one  day  met  with  a  re 
pulse  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  In  the  intimate 
hour  of  brushing  the  countess's  hair,  towards  mid 
night  in  the  turret-room,  she  would  frequently  ex 
patiate  upon  the  continued  charm  of  the  situation. 
"  But,  if  madaine  permits,  one  delectable  flavor  is 
lacking.  Two  or  three  jealous  women  would  make 
this  place  paradise.  Did  I  rejoice  that  there  were 
no  women  here  besides  madame  and  my  humble  self  ? 
I  was  wrong.  I  am.  not  too  proud  to  confess  that 
even  I  can  make  a  miscalculation.  Now  I  at  last 
perceive  why  an  inscrutable  Providence  has  created 
so  many  jealous  women  in  this  world.  By  jealous, 
I  mean  envious,  or  anything  you  please.  Jealous, 
envious  —  it 's  often  the  same  thing,  and  it  does  n't 
mean  love,  by  any  means  ;  it  mostly  means  selfishness. 
But  I  disturb  madame  ? " 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  253 

"No,  Manette.  It  is  possible  that  you  will  end 
by  instructing  me,"  said  the  countess  in  her  quiet 
way. 

"  There  are  points  where  I  could  instruct  madame," 
the  girl  re  turned,  nodding  seriously, — "points  in  which 
madame  has  had  little  experience,  in  which  madame 
is  like  a  very  little,  young  girl,  while  I  have  made 
my  researches,  it  would  be  useless  to  deny." 

The  countess  smiled.  So  long  as  Manette  would 
expound  her  own  philosophy,  why  should  she  not 
speak  and  relieve  her  mind  now  and  then  ? 

The  one  danger  was,  she  was  apt  to  suddenly  veer 
round  from  the  general  to  the  particular;  and  per 
sonal  remarks  were  not  to  the  countess's  taste.  Still, 
Manette  had  been  very  good  lately,  and  was  a  real 
comfort,  with  her  inexhaustible  spirits  and  her  de 
voted  attention.  "What  should  I  have  done  without 
my  blithe  little  Manette  through  all  these  strange, 
hard  weeks  ? "  she  thought  kindly.  "  Why  should 
I  not  put  up  with  her  peculiarities  ?  No  doubt  she 
puts  up  often  enough  with  mine,  and  finds  my  grave 
moods  more  unpleasant  than  I  find  her  lightness." 

All  of  which  was  indulgent  on  the  part  of  the 
countess,  and  honest,  too,  as  far  as  it  went;  but  if 
she  had  cared  to  analyze  her  own  motives,  she  would 


254  AULNAY  TOWER. 

have  found  also  a  desire  to  hear  certain  precarious 
subjects  approached  if  not  discussed,  and  a  simple 
human  need  of  sympathy  and  comprehension  in  her 
singular  position.  There  was  no  one  to  whom  she 
could  or  would  speak.  She  was  a  woman,  young, 
warm-hearted,  in  love  for  the  first  time  in  her  life, 
and  it  was  a  joy  to  her  to  even  hear  her  lover's  name 
spoken,  though  her  fair,  cold  face  betrayed  nothing. 
Sufficient  to  Manette  was  the  shadow  of  a  permission, 
and  her  eloquence  poured  forth  with  the  impetuosity 
of  a  mountain  brook. 

"  The  situation  needs,  I  repeat,  a  couple  of  jealous 
women  to  make  it  paradise ;  and  no  doubt  the  reason 
the  Lord  bestows  jealousy  so  liberally  upon  woman 
kind  is  to  prevent  monotony,"  the  little  maid  said, 
with  a  shrewd  look  of  reflection. 

"I  think  you  do  not  quite  know  what  you  are 
saying,  Manette." 

"  Madame  will  pardon.  I  know  but  too  well;  and 
I  repeat,  if  a  jealous  woman,  that  is  to  say,  two  jeal 
ous  women  —  madame  knows  my  devotion,  and  that 
I  never  consider  myself  alone  —  could  be  set  down 
in  the  middle  of  this  most  interesting  circle,  madame 
herself  would  speedily  observe  the  rich  results.  Noth 
ing  whatever  could  so  precipitate  desirable  but  some- 


A  ULNA  Y   TOWER.  255 

* 

what  tardy  consummations."  Manette  here  coughed 
discreetly. 

"  And  I  should  think  nothing  could  be  more  thor 
oughly  unpleasant,"  remarked  the  countess  candidly. 
"  When  did  a  jealous  woman  ever  improve  anything, 
Manette?" 

"  Ah,  madame  is  no  doubt  thinking  of  a  tragic 
jealous  woman,  with  rolling  eyes  and  a  dagger  !  No, 
no,  madame,  that  kind  does  the  least  harm.  It  is 
the  good  and  pious  jealous,  I  mean ;  that 's  the  kind 
that  makes  the  world  go  round,  —  the  kind  that  has 
awful  moral  cramps  inside  when  it  sees  anything 
superior  to  itself.  One  can  get  out  of  the  way  of  the 
rolling-eyed  woman  with  a  dagger ;  but  the  woman 
that 's  jealous  of  her  own  pomp  and  power  and  au 
thority,  and  dinners  and  servants,  and  husband  and 
children  and  the  stranger  within  her  gates,  —  one  can't 
get  out  of  her  way,  and  she 's  as  often  as  not  a  quiet 
little  woman  who  does  n't  know  what 's  the  matter 
with  her.  We  're  mostly  a  jealous  set,  and  that 's  the 
truth.  When  anything 's  the  matter  anywhere,  I  do 
not  inquire,  like  the  great  statesman,  'Who's  the 
woman  ? '  I  ask,  '  Who 's  jealous  ? ' ' 

"  Perhaps  that  is  what  he  meant,  Manette." 

"  Madame  may  be  right ;  yet  men  are  jealous  too. 


256  A  ULNA Y  TOWER. 

I  dou't  mean  jealousy  in  love.  Oh,  no !  That  is 
a  feeling  which  I  respect,  even  if  it  leads  to  stuffing 
pillows  in  one's  mouth  and  suffocating ;  which  I 
am  happy  to  say  Wackermann,  not  being  of  that 
temperament,  will  never  attempt.  And  so  I  ask  if  a 
child  falls  down  a  well,  or  if  there 's  a  war,  '  Who  was 
jealous  ? '  I  should  n't  be  surprised  if  jealousy  were 
at  the  bottom  of  this  very  war  — jealousy  —  no  more, 
no  less, — Monsieur  Bismarck  or  somebody  or  other." 

Madame  de  Yallauris  smiled.  "But  why,  then, 
do  you  wish  to  introduce  it  here  ?  Surely  we  have 
dreadful  things  enough  already,  Manette." 

"Madame  will  admit  this  situation  is  inexhaust 
ible.  The  combinations  are  kaleidoscopic,  meteor- 
like,  and  yet  —  and  yet,  a  cold-hearted,  narrow- 
minded,  envious,  jealous,  malicious  little  woman,  the 
kind  who  controls  her  manners  and  takes  away  a 
reputation  without  blinking,  —  ah,  niadame,  that  is 
what  we  need ;  that  would  be  a  boon  from  Heaven ; 
and  I  wish  she  could  be  set  plump  down  in  the 
court-yard  this  very  minute  ! " 

"  I  positively  do  not  understand  you,"  her  mis 
tress  said  gravely.  "  Such  a  person  would  be  most 
odious,  and  would  bring  unhappiness  wherever  she 
appeared." 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  257 

"It  is  because  madame  lias  never  lived  in  the 
world.  I  have  lived  in  the  world,  and  there  such 
women  are  as  plenty  as  blackbirds  in  the  park ;  and 
sometimes  it's  a  marquise,  sometimes  it's  a  lady's- 
maid,  —  for,  beggiog  madame's  pardon,  a  woman 's  a 
woman." 

"  That,  at  least,  is  quite  true,  Manette." 
"  And  it 's  because  madame  is  so  innocent.  I  —  I 
am  not  innocent.  I  know  the  uses  of  adversity, 
and  that  a  hateful  person  wisely  managed  often  does 
a  world  of  good.  When  two  hearts,  madame,"  — 
Manette  came  forward  and  eyed  her  mistress  fur 
tively  under  the  flourish  of  the  ivory  brush, —  "recip 
rocate  yet  hesitate,  are  lofty  and  noble,  and  up  in 
the  clouds,  madame,  above  all  us  earth-born  worms, 
and  love  each  other  like  angels,  madame,  with 
acres  of  blue  heaven  between,  and  one  thinks  of 
duty,  and  the  other  of  honor  and  reserve,  and  things 
don't  go  on  as  is  proper  they  should,  and  as  those 
who  are  interested  have  a  right,  to  expect,  —  why, 
there's  nothing  like  a  little  downright  hatefulness 
to  help  along.  And  for  hatefulness  there  is  nothing 
like  a  jealous,  envious,  spiteful  woman  ;  and  I  'd  bless 
the  sight  of  her,  for  there 'd  be  no  more  shilly 
shallying  then,  and  people  would  find  out  their  own 
17 


258  AULNAY  TOWER. 

minds,  which  anybody  with  eyes  can  see  already, 
and  the  jealous  woman  would  make  trouble,  and 
out  of  the  trouble  would  come  explanations,  and  out 
of  the  explanations,  reconciliations,  and  one  would 
then  not  hold  so  loosely  what  is  too  precious  to  lose 
and  one  will  never  find  again,  —  one  would  hold  the 
beautiful  dear  fast  and  close,  and  one  would  say  to 
one's  self,  '  Not  every  day  does  a  beautiful  blue  adju 
tant  with  heavenly  eyes  and  a  way  with  him  — ' 
ah  !  —  and  a  mustache  that  — '"' 

"  Manette ! " 

"  Madame  ! " 

The  countess  resumed  her  book.  Manette,  without 
another  word,  resumed  her  brushing,  and  soon  bade 
her  mistress  a  demure  good-night,  which  was,  as 
usual,  gently  returned. 

The  following  evening  when  the  countess  went  to 
her  room  she  saw  an  unwonted  sight.  Manette,  the 
blithe  little  philosopher,  dissolved  in  tears,  sobbing  as 
she  arranged  things  for  the  night,  moving  chairs  and 
toilet  articles  with  a  melancholy  listlessness. 

"  Why,  Manette,  what  has  happened  ? "  said  Ma 
dame  de  Vallauris  much  concerned. 

"  Wackermann,"  was  the  response,  with  another 
burst  of  tears.  "  He 's  happened." 


AULNAY  TOWER.  259 

"  My  poor  little  Manette  !  Would  you  like  to  tell 
me  about  it  ?  Have  you  had  a  quarrel  ?  " 

"  Madame  is  an  angel.  I  never  quarrel,  as  madame 
knows.  It  was  Wackermann  who  quarrelled  in  a 
most  glaring  and  Teutonic  manner." 

"  But,  Manette/  that  excellent,  kind-hearted  man 
with  his  full-moon  face  like  a  baby  ? " 

"  Madame  will  permit  me  to  explain,"  sobbed  Ma 
nette  ruefully,  "  that  the  full  moon  was  concealed  by 
a  thunder-cloud,  and  the  baby  roared  like  a  giant." 

The  countess  suppressed  a  smile.  "  Then  you 
must  have  done  something  very,  very  bad,  Manette," 
she  said  gravely. 

"  Madame  will  pardon  me.  It  was  not  bad.  It 
was  only  picturesque  and  exciting.  It  was  an  inter 
esting  study.  It  was  only  Corporal  Mliller  and  I  in 
the  vegetable-garden.  There  is  a  freshness,  a  vivacity 
about  Corporal  Miiller  which  is  exhilarating.  Madame 
really  permits  me  to  relate  ?  These  bagatelles  are 
hardly  in  niadame's  sphere." 

"  Never  mind  my  sphere,  Manette.  You  may  tell 
me." 

The  girl  had  recovered  somewhat.  Through  her 
tears  the  mischief  sparkled  again  in  her  bright  eyes. 

"  I  thought  Wackermann  was  on  duty  with  the 


260  AULNAY  TOWER. 

watch ;  but,  alas !  he  was  watching  me.  There  is, 
as  I  remarked,  a  certain  charm  in  Corporal  Miiller's 
vivacity,  and  I  had  been  sewing  all  day,  as  madame 
knows ;  and  there  was  Wackermaim  actually  behind 
the  snowy  hedge,  as  Corporal  Miiller  and  I  sought 
the  solitude  of  the  garden.  I  would  not  have  thought 
any  man  of  sense  would  have  made  such  a  fuss 
about  such  a  little  thing  as  a  kiss.  .He  put  his  hand 
on  my  shoulder  like  a  gendarme  or  a  bear,  and  he 
walked  me  off,  and  he  talked  to  me — yes,  he  did; 
and  how !  0  just  Heaven  ! 

"  He  said  I  might  play  most  of  my  pranks,  and  he 
did  n't  care  —  he  liked  them.  But  there  were  limits 
to  all  things,  and  either  I  wanted  to  be  his  wife,  or 
I  didn't.  If  I  didn't,  well  and  good;  he'd  find 
another  girl,  fond  as  he  was  of  me.  If  I  did,  I  could 
behave  myself.  As  to  dark  gardens  and  kissing  cor 
porals,  he  'd  put  his  foot  down.  And  he  did  —  and 
it's  so  long,"  extending  her  hands  wide  apart  and 
laughing.  "Madame  may  believe  me,  it's  like  the 
foot  of  a  mountain.  That's  what  my  Wackermann 
did."  Her  tone  was,  after  all,  not  without  pride  in 
his  prowess. 

"  He  did  perfectly  right,"  the  countess  said  with 
decision. 


A  ULNA  Y   TOWER.  261 

"  Yes,  it  was  a  beautiful  scene,"  Manette  returned. 
"  I  am  beginning  to  enjoy  it,  —  he  big,  threatening, 
and  angry;  I  crying  as  if  my  heart  would  break. 
For  I  was  startled,  as  madame  may  imagine." 

"  You  would  not  like  to  lose  him,  Manette  ? "  the 
countess  said  gently. 

"  Ah,  no,  madame." 

"  You  really  mean  to  marry  him  ? " 

"  If  he  and  I  survive  this  cruel  yet  beautiful  war, 
yes,"  replied  Manette,  throwing  up  her  eyes. 

The  countess  hesitated. 

"  Then  be  a  good  girl,  Manette,  and  be  a  good 
wife,"  putting  her  hand  on  the  girl's  shoulder  and 
looking  at  her  earnestly. 

The  maid  turned  her  head  in  her  quick,  birdlike 
way,  and  kissed  her  mistress's  fingers. 

"  I  like  him  all  the  better  for  it ;  and  he  's  a  good 
soul,  and  will  never  spoil  my  fun.  That  this  com 
bination  was  a  little  awkward,  less  artistic  than  I 
usually  originate,  I  must  confess  ;  but  it  has  had  —  its 
uses,"  she  concluded  practically. 

"  I  hope  so,"  returned  the  countess  quite  gravely. 

That  night  she  wondered  much  about  many  things, 
and,  wavering  long,  she  finally  looked  at  the  rose  and 
kissed  it  once  only,  and  laid  it  solemnly  back  in  its 


262  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

place,  and  was  very  lonely, — the  fair  lady  in  her  turret ; 
yet  as  she  reasoned  as  best  she  could  about  the  nature 
of  her  little  maid,  not  condemning  but  granting  her 
right  to  exist  according  to  the  conditions  of  her  being, 
a  thought  that  had  strength  to  comfort  arose  in  her 
troubled  soul.  "  Not  having,  but  giving,  is  true  love, — 
giving  all  one  can ;  and  I  would  give,  God  knows,  if 
I  might.  Life  is  sad,  love  is  sad,  and  one  does  not 
know  the  end ;  but  if  one  has  found  something  worth 
loving,  one  has  won  life's  best  good.  To  know  him, 
to  love  him,  to  do  my  duty  each  day,  —  what  more  is 
there  for  me  ?  If  I  might  plan  my  life  like  little 
Manette,  might  say,  'Such  a  day  we  will  marry, 
such  a  day  we  will  go  to  our  home  !'  Then,  the  heart 
speaks,  but  the  heart  is  exacting.  Why  should  mine 
have  its  will,  when  so  many  suffer  ?  Who  am  I,  to 
be  crowned  in  perfect  bliss  ?  And  the  years  when  I 
had  nothing !  And  now  I  have  him  to  love.  Ah, 
God,  make  me  grateful,  make  me  brave  to  lose  him ; 
for  since  he  loves  me,  I  am  sacred  to  myself  as  if  a 
great  white  archangel  had  extended  the  shadow  of 
his  wings  over  my  meagre,  longing  life."  And  with 
the  saints  of  her  childhood  about  her  she  fell  asleep. 

The  lives  in  the  chateau  fulfilled  their  appointed 
way,  not  all,  it  would  appear,  under  strict  military 


AULNAY  TOWER.  263 

discipline ;  and  the  December  days  moved  on  until 
the  24th,  when  the  French  again  undertook  a  great 
sortie  against  the  Prussian-Saxon  lines  simulta 
neously  with  General  Faidherbes's  operations  in  the 
Horth.  The  sortie  was  directed  particularly  against 
Stains,  Duguy,  Le  Bourget,  Pont-Iblou,  and  Drancy ; 
and  the  battle  raged  fiercely  in  the  immediate  neigh 
borhood  of  Aulnay,  and  farther  towards  the  Marne 
at  Ville  Evrart  and  Maison- Blanche.  This  attempt 
to  break  through  the  German  line  also  failed,  although 
the  latter  was  considerably  weakened  by  the  necessity 
of  sending  troops  north  to  meet  that  brave  and  indus 
trious  French  soldier,  General  Faidherbes,  who  was 
causing  the  Germans  much  trouble.  The  sortie  was 
of  extreme  importance  to  AuL  lay,  inasmuch  as  it  left 
the  French  in  firm  possession  of  Grosley  Farm,  —  a 
dairy-farm  close  by,  which  Madame  de  Vallauris,  as 
a  child,  a  young  girl,  and  a  woman,  had  often  visited. 
She  was  thrown  into  deep  excitement  by  the  news 
that  her  countrymen  had  established  themselves 
there  and  barricaded  it.  "  They  will  soon  be  at 
Aulnay,"  she  thought,  with  a  glow  of  exultation. 
Then  her  heart  sank ;  after  which  she  reproached 
herself. 

Meanwhile  at  headquarters  at  Clichy,  General  von 


264  AULNAY  TOWER. 

Aarenhorst,  in  the  early  reports  on  the  21st,  had  again 
received  the  statement,  by  this  time  somewhat  ex 
asperating  to  him,  that  a  sentinel  on  the  Ourcq 
Canal  had  perceived,  just  before  midnight,  red-light 
signals  which  the  man  declared  positively  he  could 
only  attribute  to  Aulnay  Tower.  Von  Aarenhorst 
felt  that  it  was  high  time  these  dangerous  signals, 
which  in  every  instance  had  preceded  a  vigorous  and 
important  sortie  of  the  enemy,  should  be  suppressed. 
Since  whoever  managed  them  had  thus  far  succeeded 
in  evading  suspicion,  it  was  quite  possible  that  he  had 
been  sufficiently  adroit  to  display  the  signals  many 
times  unobserved.  Eegardless,  then,  of  the  colonel's 
enthusiastic  defence  of  the  chateau  family,  and  un 
mindful  of  his  own  friendly  impressions,  the  general 
requested  von  Linden  to  renew  the  watch  on  the 
park  and  Tower,  to  have  the  latter  thoroughly  in 
spected,  and  moreover  to  confine  the  Marquis  de 
Montauban,  Madame  de  Vallauris,  the  Abbe*  de 
Navailles,  and  every  member  of  the  household  strictly 
to  the  limits  of  chateau,  church,  and  park. 

It  nearly  broke  the  good  colonel's  heart  to  con 
vey  the  unpleasant  information  to  the  abbe,  —  for  he 
chose  him  as  victim  in  preference  to  the  aged  marquis, 
or  the  lovely  countess  who  had  borne  her  privations 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  265 

with  so  much  sweetness  and  dignity.  The  colonel 
had,  in  fact,  no  patience  or  belief  in  regard  to  the  re 
puted  signals.  A  fatigued,  half-drunken,  or  half-frozen 
dazed  watch,  a  level  expanse  of  country,  guns  blazing 
away  in  the  darkness,  —  what  wonder  that  one  sees 
signs  and  wonders,  ghosts  and  signals ! 

To  his  communication  the  abbe  replied  quietly 
that  he  deeply  regretted  being  forced  to  make  such 
an  announcement  to  Madame  cle  Vallauris.  As  for 
the  marquis,  one  might  indeed  spare  him  the  indig 
nity,  as  he  seldom,  if  ever,  left  the  grounds.  To  this 
consideration  the  colonel  heartily  agreed ;  and  as  he 
looked  at  the  spiritual  face  of  the  abbe,  anxious  now 
about  his  friend,  he  deplored  this  stern  necessity  of 
war.  During  the  day  the  colonel  himself  passed 
through  the  gallery  and  ascended  the  Tower.  In  the 
small,  rough  room  was  absolutely  no  trace  of  the 
presence  of  man.  The  church  below  boasted  some 
pillars  of  an  early  century,  a  bit  of  good  sculpture, 
and  a  painting,  —  the  gift  of  the  favorite  of  a  king. 
The  colonel  enjoyed  it  all,  thought  it  a  pity  they 
must  always  build  on  and  improve  and  desecrate  such 
quaint  relics ;  then  he  went  cheerfully  over  to  dine. 

That  evening  Max  ISTordenfels  sat  alone  by  the 
fire  and  waited.  The  thin  voice  of  the  marquis  and 


266  AULNAY  TOWER. 

the  hearty  response  of  some  of  his  comrades  re 
sounded  from  the  adjacent  drawing-room.  Madame 
de  Vallauris  had  not  appeared  at  dinner.  She  was 
not  ill,  the  marquis  said,  she  merely  begged  to  be  ex 
cused.  "  The  fair  sex  must  have  its  caprice/'  the  old 
gentleman  remarked,  with  his  gallant  and  indulgent 
air.  But  Nordenfels  entertained  no  popular,  common 
place  view  of  womankind ;  he  believed  that  Countess 
Nathalie  was  not  capricious,  and  waited  anxiously. 

He  heard  her  light  step  on  the  stairway,  and 
the  fall  of  soft  folds  as  she  came.  The  pleasant 
sound,  heralding  the  approach  of  something  gentle 
and  feminine  among  the  spurs  and  sabres  and  domi 
nant  men's  ways,  would  have  been  welcome  to  him, 
even  if  he  had  not  loved  her.  But  as  he  heard  her 
coming,  —  the  one  lady  in  this  Aulnay  world  of  men, 
the  one  woman  in  the  world  to  him,  —  he  sprang  up, 
eagerly  looking  towards  the  door  with  a  great  joy 
shining  in  his  face. 

"  Ah,  I  knew  you  must  come  down  to-night !  "  he 
exclaimed.  "  Dear  countess,  two  whole  days  ! " 

She  came  directly  to  him  and  looked  him  in  the 
eyes  with  a  childlike  reproach.  She  was  pale,  as  she 
always  grew  under  excitement,  and  in  spite  of  her 
still  air  he  saw  that  she  was  agitated. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  267 

"Why  have  you  let  them  do  this  ?"  she  demanded 
sadly. 

"  Do  what  ?  " 

"  You  know,  do  you  not  ? " 

"Yes,  I  do  know,"  he  admitted  frankly.  "Of 
course  I  know." 

"  Then  why  have  you  permitted  them  to  do  it  ? " 
she  persisted. 

It  gave  him  a  wild  thrill  of  delight,  that  she  was 
instinctively  appealing  to  him  for  protection  and 
redress ;  and  he  felt  that  it  was  delicious  and  dear, 
and  at  the  same  time  exquisitely  humorous,  that  she 
was  ignoring  principalities  and  powers,  law,  logic,  and 
discipline,  and  holding  him  alone  responsible  whether 
the  world  went  right  or  wrong. 

"  Countess,"  he  said  with  his  lover's  voice  and 
his  lover's  smile,  perceptible,  if  somewhat  in  ambush 
and  an  honest  twinkle  of  fun  in  his  eye  besides,  " '  if 
I  were  King  of  France,  or  still  better  Pope  of  Eome/ 
—  but  I  am  only  Max  Nordenfels." 

She  colored,  and  said  hastily :  "  Pardon  me ;  I  spoke 
without  reflection.  Of  course  you  are  not  account 
able.  You  will  at  least  give  me  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  you  consider  it  an  indignity  and  an  un 
deserved  wrong." 


268  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

Max  looked  suddenly  grave.  "  Countess,  I  think 
it  right." 

"  You  ?  "  she  murmured. 

"  I  love  you  so  ! "  he  burst  out  impetuously.  "  I 
would  give  my  life  and  soul  to  save  you  pain." 

"  Hush,  hush  !  "  she  implored,  "or  I  shall  instantly 
go  in  to  the  others.  Be  generous,  baron ;  I  need 
to  speak  with  you.  Must  I  fear  the  slightest  tete-a- 
tete  ?  Are  you  not  my  friend  ? " 

"That,  too,"  he  returned  significantly.  "Do  not 
doubt  it,  say  what  you  will  to  me.  Let  me  assure  you 
quietly  that  I  deplore  every  annoyance  to  you  as  if 
you  were  my  "  —  she  trembled  a  little  —  "my  sister," 
he  went  on  emphatically ;  "  but  that  I  regard  these 
renewed  precautions  as  right  and  proper,  imperative, 
indeed.  General  von  Aarenhorst  is  too  clever  and 
experienced  to  need  advice ;  but  my  views,  such  as 
they  are,  he  was  good  enough  to  request  to-day.  We 
discussed  many  things  informally.  Believe  me,  it  is 
no  indignity  offered  you  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  regard 
for  your  honor  demands  it.  The  general  entertains 
the  most  profound  respect  for  you,  and  a  warm 
interest." 

"  Then  he  chooses  an  extraordinary  method  of 
evincing  his  amiable  sentiments,"  the  countess  re- 


AULNAY  TOWER.  269 

joined  with  considerable  feeling.  "  Shall  I  tell  you 
what  happened  to  me  ?  You  will  say,  perhaps,  it  was 
an  expression  of  latent  approval,  a  kind  of  exquisite 
flattery." 

"  Tell  me  first,"  said  Max  gravely. 

She  went  on  rapidly  in  her  low,  controlled  voice, 
colored  now  and  then  by  fine  flashes  of  her  warm 
spirit.  It  was  a  voice  with  which  one  could  tell 
State  secrets  in  a  crowd  and  but  one  be  the  wiser. 
The  marquis's  brittle  laugh  sounded  from  the  next 
room.  He  nodded  and  smiled  at  her  over  his  cards, 
and  she  smiled  brightly  back.  All  the  wide  doors 
were  flung  open.  In  the  music-room  beyond  some 
one  was  playing  the  "Moonlight  Sonata." 

"  He  would  not  laugh  if  he  knew,"  she  said.  "  There 
is  much  to  which  he  can  remain  oblivious.  Being 
old,  perhaps  the  past  veils  the  present  from  his  sight. 
But  this  would  touch  him  sorely,  as  it  does  me.  I 
pray  he  may  never  know." 

Nordenfels  bowed  his  head  in  grave  sympathy. 

"  I  was  going,  towards  evening,  with  Manette  and 
my  basket  to  my  poor  sufferers.  I  promised  Sister 
Agathe  to  come  again  to-day.  I  had  made  some 
sherry  jelly,  and  many  of  them  were  looking  for  me. 
The  French  boy  with  the  fever,  who  is  always 


270  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

begging  for  his  mother,  grows  quieter  when  I  come  — 
but  you  will  not  care  for  such  details." 

"  Dearest/'  Max  broke  out  passionately,  "  I  care  for 
everything  ! " 

"  And  we  were  stopped  at  the  great  gate,  no  expla 
nation,  nothing,  simply  stopped  by  a  sentinel  and  a 
bayonet.  I  went  to  every  gate.  The  same  result. 
I  was  a  prisoner;  we  are  all  prisoners  here  in  the 
chateau." 

"  The  thing  itself  is  right,"  he  answered  with  de 
cision.  "  The  fault  was  in  the  method ;  they  should 
have  announced  it  to  you  properly,  and  spared  you 
every  chance  of  outward  annoyance.  I  cannot  con 
ceive  how  such  an  irregularity  could  have  occurred. 
I  am  very  sorry."  He  turned  away,  and  walked 
thoughtfully  up  and  down  the  room. 

"  It  is  not  the  method,  but  the  fact  itself  which 
I  regard  as  the  insult.  Colonel  von  Linden  com 
municated  his  commands  to  the  Abbe  de  Navailles. 
Both  agreed  that  my  uncle  was  if  possible  to  be  kept 
in  ignorance  of  the  restrictions.  The  poor,  dear  old 
gentleman  would  be  cruelly  wounded  in  his  pride ; 
and  as  he  seldom  crosses  the  threshold  of  the  chateau, 
and  never  goes  among  the  soldiers,  why  trouble  him 
gratuitously  ?  Should  he  by  chance  attempt  to  pass 


AULNAY  TOWER.  271 

the  gate,  he  will  be  stopped  with  a  bayonet  as  I  was ; 
then  he  will  know." 

"  Madame  ! "  murmured  Max  in  deprecation. 

"  The  abbe  was  engaged  in  the  chapel,  and  could 
not  tell  me  at  once,"  she  resumed. 

"  Or  would  not,"  rejoined  the  adjutant  doggedly. 

As  she  spoke,  in  her  mind  flashed  simultaneously 
the  same  thought;  but  she  refused  to  discuss  the 
life-long  friend  of  the  Marquis  de  Montauban  with 
any  stranger. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  she  demanded  with  some 
coldness. 

"  Pardon  me ;  I  mean  nothing." 

While  she,  haunted  by  the  old  suspicion,  was  think 
ing,  "  He  might  have  told  me  sooner.  He  had  his  rea 
sons  for  letting  me  be  repulsed  at  the  gate.  He  wished 
to  make  me  angry  and  indignant  with  the  Germans. 
But  no,  I  am  not  sure ;  I  am  never  just  to  him." 

"  Listen  to  me,"  she  began  with  her  peculiar  man 
ner  of  great  warmth  strongly  restrained,  —  "  Hecla 
glowing  beneath  its  snows,"  as  Linden  had  said  that 
first  day.  "Listen  !  I  have  learned  in  this  time 
to  recognize  some  of  your  rights,  to  find  some  justice 
in  your  course.  I  have  learned,  for  instance,  if  you  ap 
pall  me  by  not  respecting  our  ambulance-wagons  —  " 


272  AULNAY  TOWER. 

<e  It  is  not  always  possible/'  Nordenfels  interposed 
vehemently. 

"  —  that,  on  the  other  hand,  our  forts  have  had  the 
cruelty  to  fire  on  your  burial-trains  burying  French 
as  well  as  Germans  honorably.  War  grows  more 
hideous,  more  inexcusable  to  me  every  day.  It 
is  a  monstrous  relic  of  barbarism.  I  abhor  it,  and 
shudder  at  its  work ;  but  I  admit  you  are  as  humane 
as  we.  I  perceive  that  you  Germans  have  sometimes 
a  spark  of  pity,  a  magnanimous  instinct ;  but  I  ask 
you  plainly  this,  —  you  whom  I  believe  to  be  a  man  of 
honor,  a  man  of  thought,  —  why  is  our  old  and  honor 
able  house  at  this  late  day  insulted  with  suspicion  ? 
I  did  not  blame  you  at  first.  We  were  simply  your 
enemies,  as  you  were  ours.  That  we  were  imprisoned 
within  our  gates  did  not  surprise  us  then.  Nothing 
would  have  surprised  us  much,  —  not  savages  or  can 
nibals.  But  gentlemen  came.  We  learned  to  trust 
them.  We  saw,  in  spite  of  our  prejudices,  that  you 
were  like  ourselves  ;  that  you  cherished  kindness  and 
courtesy  in  daily  life,  and  deplored  every  rude  act ; 
that  war  to  you  too  was  a  necessity,  not  your  choice. 
We  have  lived  now  on  an  almost  intimate  footing. 
Surely  you  gentlemen  quartered  here  have  been  able 
to  perceive  the  harmlessness  of  Chateau  Aulnay. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  273 

Moreover,  you  have  our  word  of  honor  to  remain 
outwardly  neutral  whatever  may  come.  Do  you  de 
mand  more  than  the  word  of  a  Montauban  ?  What, 
then,  do  you  mean  after  these  weeks  of  confidence 
and  freedom  ?  Why  may  I  not  go  freely  to  my 
poor,  wounded,  suffering  fellow- creatures  ?  Do  I  ask 
whether  they  are  French  or  German  ?  I  who  am 
Trench  in  every  drop  of  my  blood,  have  I  not  for 
gotten  everything  where  I  could  deaden  one  physical 
pain,  make  one  restless  spirit  calmer  ?  Am  I  dan 
gerous  ?  Is  my  poor  uncle,  with  his  weak  and 
withered  body,  a  deadly  breastwork  against  you 
Germans  ?  Or  is  it  possible  that  you  doubt  our 
pledged  word  ?  I  tell  you  plainly,  —  and  I  admit 
to  you,  Baron  von  Nordenfels,  I  have  learned  to  trust 
you  personally,  —  it  seems  to  me  a  premeditated  in 
sult.  In  this  dreary  and  terrible  experience  I  have 
found  one  consolation.  I  have  been  able  to  give 
of  my  strength  to  weakness,  to  make  some  humble 
mortal  —  an  innocent  sacrifice  to  cruel  ambition  — 
happier  for  my  presence.  Even  this  is  now  taken 
from  me,  and  the  poor  men  must  wait  for  me  in 
vain.  What  answer  have  you  to  make  to  me?" 

"  Dear   countess,  believe   me,  it  is   unavoidable," 
said  the  young  man. 

18 


274  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  Why  have  they  done  it  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  why." 

"  Do  you  know  ? " 

"  Perfectly." 

"  You  doubt  us,  then  ?  " 

"  Heaven  forbid  !  I  believe  in  you  as  I  believe  in 
God.  You  are  the  purest  spirit  I  have  ever  known. 
I  kneel  to  you,  I  kiss  your  feet ;  and  yet  I  tell  you  it 
is  right,  what  they  have  done.  Though  it  hurts  you, 
it  is  right." 

"  But  why  ?  " 

He  shook  his  head.  "  Madame,"  he  said,  smiling 
a  little,  "  in  the  stories,  'always  in  a  case  like  this  the 
woman  tempts  the  man.  I  have  never  known  why. 
You  tempt  me  now  with  your  loveliness  and  inno 
cence,  it  is  true.  You  tempt  me  to  take  you  in  my 
arms,  and  whisper  a  thousand  love-words  in  your  ear, 
and  never  let  you  go ;  but  you  do  not  tempt  me  to 
forget  my  duty.  And  if  I  could  explain,  you  would 
be  the  first  to  tell  me  I  was  right ;  so  do  not  ask  me. 
Countess,  just  now  you  asked  me  if  I  was  not  your 
friend  ?  Now  I  appeal  to  you.  Are  you  not  my 
friend  ?  Have  you  not  faith,  though  you  may  not 
understand  ? " 

"  Of  what  do  they  suspect  us  ? "  she  said  slowly. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  275 

"  I  cannot  tell  you." 

"  Does  it  not  seem  bitter  to  you  that  they  withdraw 
without  explanation  the  confidence  of  months  ? " 

"  It  is  no  insult.  It  is  the  inexorable  necessity  of 
war." 

"  Whom  do  they  hold  capable  of  dishonor  ?  " 

"  Not  you,  dear  lady." 

"  My  uncle  ? " 

"  Never." 

"  Whom,  then  ?     Speak  out." 

"Did  it  never  occur  to  you,  that  the  Abbe  de 
Navailles  could  play  a  deep  game  ? " 

"  But  not  treachery,"  she  said,  hesitating. 

"  There  is  treachery  somewhere.  More,  I  may  not 
say.  I  trust  you  with  this.  Trust  me." 

A  deep  though tfulness  settled  upon  her  face.  In 
the  second  room  beyond  some  one  had  been  playing 
a  nocturne  of  Chopin,  and  now  finished  with  a  long, 
soft  chord. 

"  Good-night,"  she  said,  extending  both  her  hands. 
He  kissed  them,  and  went. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

"  AH,  Christmas  is  a  sad  time  for  the  children  at 
home  when  the  father 's  not  there ! "  von  Linden 
said  with  a  sigh  to  Madame  de  Yallauris,  a  grave 
look  on  his  jolly  face. 

"  And  a  sad  time  for  the  father  without  his  chil 
dren/'  she  returned  kindly. 

"Yes,  madame,  I  miss  them,"  he  said  simply. 

"  What  does  Christmas  mean  ? "  she  went  on 
thoughtfully.  "  '  Peace  on  earth,  good-will  towards 
men'  ?  What  irony !  Two  hostile  nations  in  a  mighty 
struggle,  the  great  city  there  holding  out  against  cold, 
and  famine,  and  fever,  and  misery,  and  your  legions. 
War  is  a  ghastly  thing." 

Von  Linden  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Ah,  ma- 
dame,  that  may  he ;  but  we  can't  get  along  without 
it,  you  know.  It  does  a  world  of  good  sometimes, 
too." 

"  Filling  the  world  with  death  and  anguish,"  she 
murmured. 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  277 

"  Pardon  me,  countess,  but  you  have  changed  your 
views  since  I  first  talked  with  you.  You  were  more 
heroic  once,  more  warlike  and  aggressive.  You  never 
said  much,  but  one  felt  it.  You  intimidated  me  ! " 

She  smiled  sadly.  "  I  was  very  ignorant,  colonel. 
I  have  not  changed  in  my  sympathies  for  my  own 
land,  in  my  ardent  desire  for  France  to  be  victorious. 
But  I  did  not  know  the  sickening  horrors  of  war. 
Here,  in  the  midst  of  it,  I  have  seen  sights  that  have 
curdled  my  blood,  and  that  I  shall  never,  never  for 
get  ;  and  my  very  soul  protests  against  such  massacre 
of  humanity.  To  what  end  is  it  all,  —  the  ruined 
village,  the  homeless  wanderers,  the  poverty  and  mis 
ery  and  starvation,  the  bloodshed  and  the  cruelty? 
The  beasts  are  not  so  cruel  as  man.  I  saw  a  laughing 
boy  leaning  against  a  wall  last  Tuesday.  There  was 
an  angry  whiz  through  the  air,"  —  she  shuddered  and 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  —  "and  then  I  saw 
what  an  instant  before  was  a  human  body  —  " 

"Dear  madame,  you  are  a  woman  and  an  angel, 
and  sometimes  war  is  hideous  for  us  men.  But  let 
us  discuss  it  later.  One  can  argue  better  in  time  of 
peace."  He  took  her  hand  and  smiled,  and  patted  it 
in  a  fatherly  way.  "  Some  day  you  and  I  will  meet 
again ;  then  I  will  answer  you." 


278  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"The  statesmen  have  to  make  peace  afterwards," 
she  persisted ;  "  why  not  in  the  beginning  of  diffi 
culties?  Why  do  they  insist  upon  all  the  cruelty 
and  suffering  and  barbarism  of  war  ?  Why  not 
arrange  their  concessions  and  payments  and  diplo 
matic  treaties  at  first,  and  prevent  bloodshed  and 
misery  ? " 

"Ask  them,  madame,"  returned  the  bluff  soldier. 
"  It 's  their  business  to  pull  the  wires.  It 's  mine  to 
fight." 

"  Alas,  yes,"  sighed  the  countess. 

"At  least,  you  have  softened  a  little  to  us  poor 
Germans.  You  have  not  found  us  wholly  barbarous." 

"  I  have  found  you  as  considerate  as  the  circum 
stances  permit,"  she  answered  with  dignity.  "  But 
I  abhor  your  war,  our  war,  all  war.  I  believe  it  is 
a  monstrous  crime,  and  I  feel  vast  and  boundless 
pity  for  all  who  suffer  from  it,  for  the  anguish  of 
body  and  mind, —  here,  there," -- pointing  towards 
Paris,  —  "  in  your  own  land ;  and  I  pray  night  and 
day  God  may  have  mercy  and  bring  it  to  a  speedy 
end." 

"  Amen  !  "  said  the  soldier  solemnly.  "  We  Ger 
mans  all  want  to  get  home,  madame.  As  I  said,  the 
little  ones  are  waiting ;  and  when  a  man  has  a  good 


AULNAY  TOWER.  279 

wife  —  "  He  hesitated.  The  warlike  colonel  was  evi 
dently  very  homesick.  He  took  several  long  strides 
about  the  room,  making  much  noise  with  his  heavy, 
spurred  boots. 

"  That  is  the  irreconcilable  feature  of  it  all/'  the 
countess  said  very  softly.  "  A  tender-hearted  man 
like  you,  loving  your  wife  and  children,  and  coming  to 
a  foreign  land  to  slaughter  French  women's  husbands 
and  French  children's  fathers." 

"  Irreconcilable  ?  Ah,  madame,  if  you  would  teach 
the  world  logic  !  But  I  must  go ;  for  I  feel  myself 
becoming  wax  in  your  hands,"  he  added  with  a 
genial  laugh. 

Christmas  eve  von  Linden  rode  out  to  satisfy 
himself  as  to  some  reported  firing  near  Bondy  wood. 
It  was  merely  a  feint,  purposeless,  resultless,  except 
that  it  created  anger,  excitement,  and  discomfort. 
The  roads  were  slippery,  the  night  cold  and  wet. 
The  colonel,  with  von  Nordenfels  and  an  orderly, 
rode  back  to  Aulnay  in  no  enviable  frame  of  mind. 
Approaching  the  chateau,  they  were  surprised  to  see 
it  brilliantly  illuminated;  and  as  the  two  officers 
entered,  Gerhardt  sprang  towards  them.  "Don't 
go  up  to  your  rooms,"  he  begged.  "  Come  in  here 
first." 


280  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

Cold  and  wet  as  they  were,  they  went  into  the  great 
dining-room,  where  the  family  and  the  officers  were 
gathered  round  a  large  Christmas-tree ;  and  some  of 
the  men  were  coming  in  for  a  peep  and  filing  out  to 
make  way  for  others.  A  convalescent  drummer-boy, 
one  of  the  countess's  patients,  sat  bolstered  up  in 
the  corner.  Each  officer  had  contributed  to  the 
general  good  whatever  the  field-post  had  brought 
him  from  home.  On  a  table  was  a  curious  array,  — 
cigars  and  Erbswurst,  chocolate,  books,  trifles  from 
mothers  and  sisters.  A  barrel  of  beer  was  running 
freely,  and  tasted  of  home  to  the  strong  jovial  fellows, 
with  their  collars  turned  up  and  sleet  in  their  hair, 
who  came  in  respectfully  to  share  the  Christmas. 
Now  and  then  a  tobacco-pouch,  a  few  knives,  and 
other  trifles  were  distributed.  All  could  not  have 
a  gift,  but  all  could  see  the  tree,  with  a  warm  thought 
of  home. 

The  chaplain  made  a  short  prayer,  which  the  most 
careless  of  them  felt.  A  man  must  have  his  earnest 
moments  when  death  knocks  every  day  at  the  door. 

Gerhardt  was  liberally  distributing  the  contents  of 
a  large  jar  of  preserved  damsons,  and  Forstenau 
flourished  a  ham.  Compote,  German  sausage,  and 
sweet  almond  and  honey  cakes  all  reposed  amiably 


AULNAY  TOWER.  281 

on  the  same  plate,  and  were  consumed  together  with 
out  ceremony. 

The  marquis  moved  delicately  through  the  crowd, 
regarding  the  scene  with  ineffable  condescension. 
"  It  is  very  amusing,  very/'  he  remarked,  looking 
at  the  tree,  the  officers,  and  the  men  with  somewhat 
the  air  he  would  have  worn  at  a  spectacular  ballet. 
"  I  have  read  of  your  German  Christmas-tree.  I 
never  saw  one  before.  Interesting  custom,  really." 

"I  did  what  I  could,"  Countess  Nathalie  began 
modestly,  "and  the  lieutenants  were  so  interested; 
but  this  must  be  quite  different  from  their  trees  — 
quite." 

"I  suppose  so,  I  suppose  so,"  the  old  gentleman 
returned  absently,  with  an  encouraging  smile  at  noth 
ing  in  particular. 

But  Nordenfela  looked  at  the  odds  and  ends  of 
candle-stumps,  collected  and  tied  on  as  Countess 
Nathalie  could  best  manage,  and  burning  with  the  old 
familiar  Christmas-tree  smell  on  a  good  straight  fir 
from  Aulnay  Park.  Memories  of  childhood  and  home 
mingled  with  the  incongruities  around  him,  and  the 
weather-beaten  soldier- faces  smiled  in  from  the  door 
ways,  the  lieutenants  made  merry,  and  the  older  offi 
cers,  care-worn,  with  the  troubled  eyes  of  men  facing 


282  AULNAY  TOWER. 

grave  responsibilities,  could  yet  laugh  cordially  as 
Christmas  warmed  their  hearts.  The  queer  keepsakes 
from  the  Fatherland  in  a  motley  row  touched  him 
strangely.  Even  Schinken  arid  Wurst,  most  prosaic 
of  all  edibles,  seemed  to  convey  a  tender  thought 
because  packed  by  some  loving  mother's  hand  for 
her  absent  boy.  Turning  to  Countess  Nathalie,  who 
watched  it  all  half  anxiously,  doubtful  whether  her 
undertaking  had  succeeded  or  not,  he  murmured; 
"  Who  but  you  could  have  done  anything  so  gracious  ? 
It  is  the  most  beautiful  tree,  the  kindest  tree,  the 
most  perfect  Christmas-tree  that  ever  was  made  ! " 

At  which  she  could  only  look  at  him  and  laugh 
brightly  ;  for  she  knew  the  candle-ends  were  few  and 
ragged  and  old,  and  her  whole  arrangement  most  primi 
tive.  Yet  she  colored  and  was  happy  beneath  his 
gaze. 

They  -were  all  grateful  to  her.  "  God  bless  you  for 
the  kind  thought ! "  the  colonel  said,  taking  her  hands 
warmly,  and  looking  —  Gerhardt  declared  in  an  en 
vious  whisper  to  Nordenfels  —  as  if  he  was  on  the 
point  of  kissing  her. 

"  I  made  it  chiefly  for  you,  colonel,"  she  said  sweetly, 
—  "  for  you  and  the  pale  drummer-boy  there.  You 
confided  to  me  your  longing  for  your  wife  and  chil- 


AULNAY  TOWER.  283 

dren ;  he,  his  for  his  parents  and  sister.  There  is  so 
much  misery  everywhere  !  I  thought  perhaps  I  could 
help  you  get  through  your  most  homesick  evening. 
There  is  no  real  happiness  in  the  world  anywhere, 
only  now  and  then  a  fleeting  happy  moment,"  con 
cluded  the  beautiful  woman  with  conviction. 

"  Dear  rnadame,  —  dear  child,  I  may  almost  ven 
ture  to  say  to  you,  —  repeat  that  to  me  if  you  can  after 
three  —  after  five  years,"  the  colonel  replied,  laughing 
kindly.  "  Believe  me,  I  know  the  cure  for  your  pes 
simism.  But  I  see  an  orderly  in  the  corridor.  Par 
don  me  that  I  must  go,  and  take  my  adjutant  with 
me.  A  thousand  thanks,  madame,  for  me,  and  for 
us  all.  God  bless  you  for  your  kindness ! " 

"  They  enjoyed  it,  Nathalie,"  the  marquis  observed 
later,  with  a  largely  hospitable  air,  as  if  he  had  just 
thrown  the  chateau  open  for  a  grand  ball.  "  It  was 
very  entertaining  and  creditable.  We  might  do  some 
thing  of  the  kind  often,  do  you  know  ?  It  impresses 
them.  It  commands  the  circumstances.  The  soire'e 
was  bizarre,  but  agreeable,  original." 

"  I  am  glad  you  enjoyed  it,  dear  uncle,"  she  said 
gently. 

"  It  is  a  pity  the  abbe*  was  occupied.  He  would 
have  been  uncommonly  pleased." 


284  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  Could  he  not  have  coine  in  if  he  liked  ?  What 
could  prevent  him  ? " 

"Nothing  more  important  than  scientific  studies, 
my  dear/'  rejoined  the  marquis  facetiously,  "  which  I 
should  be  sorry  to  see  you  puzzling  your  pretty 
head  about,  even  to  know  the  names  of  them.  A 
clever  woman  is  always  a  fright.  Never  grow  clever, 
Nathalie.  There 's  nothing  feminine  in  cleverness. 
The  woman's  heart,  the  man's  head." 

"  Have  no  fear  for  me,"  she  said,  smiling. 

"  Fortunately,  rny  dear,  I  need  have  none,"  was  his 
serene  reply. 

"  But  what  does  the  abb6  study,  uncle  ?  Is  he  not 
learned  enough  ? "  she  asked  innocently,  feeling  with 
great  compunction  that  she  had  become  a  very  fox 
for  slyness. 

"  To  exercise  his  intellect,"  he  replied,  with  a  supe 
rior  smile.  "  A  man's  intellect  needs  constant  exer 
cise,  as  an  athlete's  body.  Before  these  disturbances 
the  abbe  could  run  into  Paris  as  often  as  he  pleased. 
He  profits,  of  course,  by  my  society  still.  But  I  am 
more  or  less  occupied  with  my  guests  —  and —  " 

"  Yes,  dear  uncle.  And  the  abbe*  studies  more 
than  formerly  ? " 

"  That  is,  he  interests  himself,  he  exercises.     For 


AULNAY  TOWER.  285 

the  man's  mind  problems,  diagrams,  charts,  are  like 
the  trapeze  and  parallel  bars  for  the  gymnast." 

"  Charts,  diagrams,"  murmured  Nathalie. 

"  Curiosity  —  curiosity  ! "  He  shook  his  ringer 
playfully  at  her.  "  But  it  is  a  normal  trait.  It  is 
feminine." 

"And  does  the  abbe*  show  you  his  drawings, 
uncle  ? " 

"  No,  my  dear  child.  I  have  no  interest  in  such 
things  nowadays.  But  being  of  an  observant,  a  pene 
trating  intellect,  I  naturally  know  in  what  direction 
my  friend  the  abbd's  mind  leans,  and  what  he  does 
with  his  time." 

"  And  what  does  he  do  with  it,  uncle  ?  "  asked  the 
countess  quite  bluntly,  still  feeling  like  a  guilty  fox. 

"  Science,"  said  the  old  gentleman  in  a  grand  and 
vague  way.  "  Science,  my  dear." 

"  Oh  —  science." 

"  Astronomy,  I  fancy.  He  dropped  a  little  chart, 
with  points  and  lines,  on  my  desk.  Yes,  yes,  astro 
nomical  ;  but  such  things  are  dry  to  me  now,  and  per 
aspera  ad  astra  has  a  double  signification.  You  com 
prehend  the  Latin,  Nathalie  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear  uncle,  —  that  much,  I  believe.  A  little 
chart,  you  said  ?  " 


286  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  Bless  my  soul !  You  don't  want  to  study  astron 
omy,  do  you  ? " 

She  protested  the  contrary,  laughing  a  little  ner 
vously. 

"  Yes,  we  must  repeat  the  soiree,"  said  the  marquis, 
well  pleased,  "and  the  abbe*  must  be  present.  He 
hardly  knows  there  is  a  military  man  in  the  house. 
He  lives  in  quite  another  world.  But  this  was  hardly 
military  to-night ;  it  was  purely  social.  The  abbe* 
would  have  enjoyed  it.  We  must  repeat  it,  my 
dear." 

"We  will  do  whatever  makes  you  happy,"  she 
said  indulgently,  bidding  him  good-night. 

But  she  did  not  repeat  her  Christmas-tree,  never 
theless,  nor  was  there  much  sociability  at  the  cha 
teau  after  that.  The  weather  was  bitter  cold,  the 
faces  were  grave  and  stern.  Deep  plans  were  laid. 
The  Germans  were  impatient  for  the  end.  Paris  was 
making  its  last  brave  and  desperate  effort. 

The  besieging  army  now  contemplated  the  immedi 
ate  bombardment  of  the  city.  Partly  from  conquered 
fortresses,  partly  from  the  Fatherland,  heavy  guns  and 
batteries  were  procured.  The  woods  which  covered 
the  advanced  positions  of  the  Germans  before  Mont 
Avron  and  Clichy  had  been  full  of  life.  Working 


AULNAY   TOWER.  287 

parties  toiled  in  the  dark  or  by  moonlight,  and  thou 
sands  of  men  were  employed  those  bitter  cold  nights 
digging  trenches  in  the  frozen  ground  at  Raincy  oppo 
site  the  dangerous  batteries  of  Mont  Avron.  That  the 
French  in  spite  of  their  nearness  failed  to  perceive 
the  German  activity  seemed  incomprehensible. 

About  seventy  heavy  cannon  concentrated  their 
fire  on  Mont  Avron  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
27th  of  December.  By  noon  the  French  batteries 
were  silent;  by  night  the  hill  was  evacuated.  The 
German  fire  was  now  steadily  directed  against  the 
French  forts;  while  from  the  south  side  the  bom 
bardment  of  Paris  began  on  the  4th  of  January. 

Again  Chateau  Aulnay  was  thrown  into  excitement 
and  distress.  Towards  midnight  on  the  14th  of  Jan 
uary  the  foreposts  at  'Nonneville  Farm,  only  a  kilo 
meter  and  a  half  from  Aulnay,  were  attacked  by  the 
French.  After  a  hard  struggle  they  were  driven 
back ;  their  captain  was  taken  prisoner  and  brought 
wounded  to  Aulnay.  Madame  de  Vallauris  begged 
to  see  him,  or  to  have  him  brought  to  the  chateau, 
but  was  refused.  Sister  Agathe  was  with  him,  she 
was  told,  and  he  was  doing  well.  The  countess  was 
on  the  point  of  asking  for  Adjutant  von  Nordenfels, 
whom  she  had  not  seen  in  some  days.  He  would 


288  AULNAY  TOWER. 

take  her  to  see  the  wounded  French  captain,  she  felt 
assured.  Then  she  remembered  that  he  approved  of 
the  order  to  re-imprison  them,  and,  sad  at  heart,  she 
decided  not  to  ask  for  him,  but  went  instead  into  the 
empty  church,  and  knelt  there  long,  and  sobbed 
quietly  for  sheer  loneliness  and  for  horror  of  war. 

General  von  Aarenhorst,  at  Clichy,  was  filled  with 
consternation  and  a  grim  rage  to  hear  now  for  the 
third  time  the  report  of  signals  presumably  from 
Aulnay.  They  had  plainly  preceded  the  French 
attack  on  isTonneville,  had  been  perceived  by  the 
distant  watch  "On  the  Ourcq  Canal,  and  were  utterly 
invisible  to  the  guard  stationed  to  watch  the  Tower 
and  park.  "  What  devils'  league  can  this  be  ? " 
thought  the  good  general.  "A  light  seen  from  afar 
and  not  seen  near  by  and  below  must  come  from  the 
extreme  interior  of  an  elevated  place,"  he  reasoned. 
The  form  of  the  Tower  of  Aulnay,  the  deep  room  high 
above  the  plain,  and  below  the  clock  and  the  slender 
spire,  might  be  adapted  by  a  clever  brain  to  such  a 
purpose.  He  determined  to  solve  this  mysterious 
and  dangerous  problem,  which  had  been  too  long 
neglected.  Lights  always  preceding  French  sorties 
should  be  summarily  extinguished  in  his  territory 
if  it  were  a  possible  thing.  Yon  Linden  would  most 


AULNAY  TOWER.  289 

assuredly  again  defend  the  Montauban  family,  assert 
ing  that  there  were  other  village  church-towers,  and 
that  it  was  a  hallucination  of  the  sentinels  always  to 
suspect  Aulnay.  If  Aulnay  was  innocent,  so  much 
the  better ;  but  Aulnay  must  prove  it.  Accordingly 
General  von  Aarenhorst  had  a  diopter  adjusted  to  bear 
precisely  upon  Aulnay  Tower,  and  in  a  square  stone 
pillar  supporting  the  balustrade  of  the  high  terrace  at 
Clichy  a  groove  cut  sharply  to  hold  the  instrument, 
so  that  by  night  as  well  as  day  the  Tower  would  be 
under  scrutiny.  An  under-officer  of  the  staff-watch 
was  commanded  to  look  at  it  every  fifteen  min 
utes  during  the  night,  and  in  case  of  the  slightest 
discovery  to  announce  it  instantly.  Horses  stood 
saddled  in  the  orderlies'  stables  continually,  and  an 
expert  rider  knowing  the  short-cuts  could  traverse 
the  distance  between  Clichy  arid  Aulnay  in  twenty 
minutes. 

Colonel  von  Linden  received  at  the  same  time 
orders  to  leave  the  family  absolutely  free  to  go  and 
come  as  they  pleased.  Von  Aarenhorst  resolved  to 
give  them  every  opportunity  to  compromise  them 
selves,  in  case  they  were  addicted  to  double-dealing. 
The  abbe  received  the  news  of  their  retrained  free- 

O 

dom    with   his   usual   sweet-tempered    indifference; 

19 


290  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

the  marquis  had  not  even  suspected  the  restric 
tion  ;  the  countess  quietly  resumed  her  visits  among 
the  wounded  soldiers.  "  It  seems  as  if  they  were 
all  struck  with  blindness  as  to  Aulnay  Tower,"  the 
colonel  reflected,  —  "  even  Aarenhorst,  clever  man  as 
he  is.  I  hope  this  is  the  last  order.  Restriction 
to  chateau  and  park,  freedom,  restriction,  freedom. 
Heaven  forbid  that  restriction  should  now  recur 
in  its  regular  pendulum  swing ! " 

Countess  Nathalie  was  relieved  when  the  inscru 
table  power  which  had  forbidden,  now  permitted 
her  voluntary  goings-out  and  comings-in  through  the 
park  gates.  She  smiled  somewhat  sadly  as  she  real 
ized  that  she  now  regarded  the  right  to  walk  down 
the  village  street  as  a  boon.  "I  must  have  been 
wickedly  proud,"  she  thought,  "if  it  has  taken  so 
much  misery  to  make  me  humble." 

She  was  infinitely  sad  in  these  times,  but  not  self 
ishly  sad,  as  before  in  her  idle  days.  Her  face  wore 
a  look  of  self-control  and  spiritual  life  which  made 
her  marvellously  beautiful.  She  always  had  a  smile 
for  the  soldiers,  however,  and  for  her  uncle,  and  no 
one  found  her  dull  company;  only  the  hope  that 
should  have  gleamed  in  her  young  and  lovely  eyes 
was  not  there  to  make  her  radiant.  "Duty  ought  to 


AULNAY  TOWER.  291 

be  sufficient,"  she  thought  every  day,  "and  I  am  a 
coward  to  wish  it  would  not  all  last  so  very  long. 
The  Montaubans  are  a  long-lived  race ;  I  am  like  the 
Montaubans,"  she  considered  with  a  shudder.  "  Papa 
died  from  an  accident ;  uncle  is  seventy ;  fifty  years 
more  of  duty  !  One  does  need  courage.  To-day  there 
is  Kobert's  bandage  and  Alexis's  soup,  and  the  men 
to  talk  with.  That  is  enough.  When  I  think  of 
the  fifty  years,  I  am  a  coward." 

She  began  to  watch  the  abbe  now  deliberately 
and  closely,  but  there  was  nothing  mysterious  in  his 
conduct.  The  attack  on  ISTonneville,  following  Nor- 
denfels'  expressed  suspicion,  her  uncle's  mention  of 
the  points  and  lines  of  the  astronomical  chart,  served 
to  make  her  deeply  thoughtful  as  to  the  abbe's 
honesty.  "Why  had  they  been  confined  to  the  cha 
teau  and  grounds  ?  Why  were  they  now  at  liberty  ? 
Lately  she  had  not  seen  Nordenfels  for  any  length 
of  time.  He  was  so  glad  when  he  met  her  for  a 
moment,  that  it  seemed  to  her  the  whole  world  must 
see  and  feel  the  warmth  in  his  manner  and  in  the 
tone  of  his  voice.  But  he  was  scarcely  at  Aulnay 
except  when  writing,  or  when  from  her  window  she 
would  see  him  mount  his  chestnut  mare  in  the 
court  and  stroke  her  once  or  twice,  and  speak  a 


292  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

word  to  his  man  with  a  pleasant  smile,  then  off  by 
lonely  wood -road  and  field-path  or  leading  a  detach 
ment  into  danger  and  bloodshed.  He  always  came 
back.  He  always  took  her  hands  as  if  they  be 
longed  to  him,  and  smiled  his  loving,  honest,  manly 
smile  straight  down  into  her  heart.  He  would  say 
hastily,  "  It  is  always  service  now.  But  this  cannot 
last  long.  Forgive  my  abruptness,  and  remember  I 
am  coming  back  in  a  long,  still  time." 

And  she  had  hardly  occasion  to  do  more  than  look 
at  him  with  her  questioning  glance,  when  he  was 
gone,  —  so  full  and  hurried  were  the  days. 

"  What  did  he  mean  by  his  allusion  to  the  abbe  ? 
What  was  it  the  abbe*  did  with  his  smooth  ways  and 
irreproachable  life,  and  deep,  glowing,  dark  eyes  ? " 

So  she  watched  him,  but  found  him  harmless,  stu 
dious,  innocent. 

One  night  she  could  not  sleep.  She  was  young 
still,  and  the  restless  thoughts  most  women  can  ex 
press  to  some  good  soul  and  find  in  return  something 
like  comprehension  and  sympathy,  she  held  back  in 
her  own  heart.  They  preyed  upon  one  another,  and 
threw  her  into  an  unsettled,  questioning  mood. 

She  rose  impulsively,  and  half  dressed  herself,  for 
the  night  was  cold.  Throwing  open  her  casement,  she 


AULNAY  TOWER.  293 

listened  to  the  sounds  in  the  darkness.  The  atmos 
phere  was  singularly  clear.  In  the  stables  she  heard 
the  slightest  movement  of  the  horses ;  not  a  branch 
was  stirring  in  the  park.  She  looked  up  towards  the 
dusky  Tower,  bold,  strong,  and  broad  between  her  and 
the  night  skies.  No,  it  was  her  imagination  !  Surely 
no  sudden  gleam  of  light  had  flashed  out  like  an 
unbidden  thought  from  that  darkness,  and  vanished 
as  if  it  had  not  been ! 

Startled,  she  stared  through  the  gloom.  Down  in 
the  park  all  was  black,  only  by  the  yellowish  lantern 
in  the  court  the  nearer  trees  raised  their  gaunt  winter 
shapes  and  the  snowy  hedges  leaned  forward  and 
beckoned  with  their  cedar  fingers  in  a  ghostly  way. 
Sight  revealing  nothing,  she  listened,  every  nerve 
alert.  Why  she  was  awake,  why  she,  above  the  still 
park  and  court,  watched  by  her  turret  casement  open 
to  the  night,  and  breathed  the  chill  of  the  mid  January 
air,  she  did  not  ask  herself.  Against  the  illimitable 
darkness  that  mysterious,  evanescent  flash  had  in 
scribed  itself  like  the  fatal  letters  that  foretold  the 
downfall  of  a  king. 

Could  she  have  erred  ?  No.  She  saw  it,  rapid 
and  warm  as  a  desire,  gleaming  vaguely  from  the 
Tower  into  the  vast  outer  world.  The  stars  were 


294  AULNAY  TOWER. 

faint,  the  winds  were  still.  Silence  reigned  supreme. 
Yet  she  knew  that  something  was  in  the  Tower,  and 
had  sent  forth,  inadvertently  it  might  be,  a  swift 
reflection  of  an  inward  hidden  flame  far  into  infinite 
space. 

She  listened.  "Was  it  the  beating  of  her  heart, 
was  it  the  muffled,  clanking  movement  of  the  night- 
watch,  was  it  a  deep-chested  horse  breathing  hard 
or  treading  impatiently  with  his  good  hoofs,  whose 
speed  had  served  so  well  the  ambition  and  the  wish 
of  man  in  this  thing  called  war  ?  She  could  not  tell. 
She  seemed  to  hear  everything,  —  more,  indeed,  than 
there  was  to  hear.  Even  the  armoire  behind  her 
seemed  like  a  sentient  thing,  and  innumerable  voices 
of  the  night  spoke  from  within  the  ancient  chateau, 
from  the  wintry  park  without,  in  sudden  imperious- 
ness  followed  by  a  long  hush  and  secrecy. 

Above  them  all  she  distinguished  stealthy  move 
ment  in  the  Tower.  Did  she  hear,  or  did  she  only 
feel  ?  Was  the  Tower  alive  ?  Had  it  a  soul  ?  Two 
o'clock  was  striking  now ;  the  premonitory  asthmatic 
wheeze  and  gasp  of  the  great  works  were  louder  than 
usual  to-night.  One  —  two  —  strong  and  solemn  — 
floated  in  broad  waves  of  sound  out  into  the  night, 
over  the  still  plain.  Below,  the  sentries  relieved 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  295 

guard.  The  uniform  cadence  of  their  step  approached 
and  retreated.  Stillness  far  and  wide  for  an  instant. 
How  vast  night  was  —  and  nature !  The  air  was 
painfully  cold.  She  shivered,  with  a  pitiful  prayer 
for  the  starving,  freezing  poor  in  the  great  besieged 
city. 

Again  the  Tower  —  moved  ?  she  asked  herself,  star 
tled,  straining  her  eyes  towards  its  gloomy  outlines. 
No,  but  something  —  some  one  was  moving  within  it. 
Soft,  undefined,  muffled,  but  distinct  and  incontestable 
were  the  sounds  which  reached  her  casement. 

Her  slender  turret  was  highest,  nearest  to  the 
massive  church-tower.  It  stretched  up  towards  it, 
eager  to  penetrate  its  secret,  whatever  it  might  be. 

She  would  know  that  secret,  waking  and  gleaming 
there  through  the  night-watches.  She  had  the  right 
to  know  it.  Was  it  not  the  old  Montauban  Tower  ? 
Were  the  marquis  not  a  feeble,  aged  man,  she  would 
call  him  now  to  look  after  his  own.  Down  in  a  room 
below  there  was  some  one  working  still,  it  might  be, 
bending  a  grave,  strong  face  over  piles  of  reports  and 
papers.  He  was  not  aged  and  feeble,  but  young, 
and  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood.  He  would  help 
her.  He  would  come  with  strength  to  serve,  with 
love  in  his  eyes,  eager  to  do  her  bidding.  But,  no. 


296  AULNAY  TOWER. 

The  quiet  writer  might  write  on.  He  was  farther 
away  from  her,  more  useless,  more  impossible  to  her 
need  than  the  marquis ;  and  neither  the  thought  of 
his  good  brain  nor  his  true  love  and  knightly  strength 
could  be  of  any  avail  in  this  extremity. 

She  sighed,  recoiled  an  instant.  The  way  was 
long  and  dark,  the  chateau  full  of  men.  Then  she 
prepared  to  go,  —  put  on  soft  shoes,  took  an  unlighted 
candle  and  matches  in  her  hand. 

"  No  one  \vill  hurt  me,"  she  reasoned.  "  Every 
soldier  knows  and  loves  me.  I  am  a  Montauban, 
and  always  have  the  right  to  go  into  the  Montauban 
chapel  —  by  night,  too,  if  I  wish.  To  whom  am  I 
called  upon  to  explain  my  conduct,  except  to  my 
uncle  ?  May  he  sleep  soft  this  night !  The  chance 
is,  I  meet  no  one.  There  has  surely  never  been 
any  sentinel  on  the  stairways  or  at  the  entrance  of 
the  gallery.  I  shall  probably  go  unimpeded  to  the 
Tower-room.  If  there  is  nothing  wrong  there,  thank 
God !  If  there  is,  I  shall  know  what.  I  do  not 
know  what  I  await.  Whom  I  suspect,  I  know  too 
well.  God  forgive  me  if  I  do  him  injustice.  But  I 
must,  I  will  know." 

Quietly  and  calmly  she  chose  the  most  practical 
route,  noiselessly  descending  her  own  winding  stair- 


AULNAY  TOWER.  297 

way,  avoiding  the  corridors  nearest  the  officers'  quar 
ters,  and  deliberately  taking  a  longer  turn  that  she 
might  pass  old  Jean's  room  instead  of  Manette's. 
"  The  more  Jean  should  hear,  in  the  dead  of  night, 
the  less  he  would  stir,"  she  thought ;  "  while  Manette 
is  more  on  the  alert  when  she  sleeps  than  most  of  the 
world  awake."  She  stopped  in  the  passage  and  con 
sidered.  "  Perhaps  I  should  take  Manette  ?  No. 
The  Countess  de  Vallauris  cannot  go  to  discover  a 
man's  perfidy  escorted  by  her  maid.  There  shall  be 
no  chatter.  This  lies  between  his  soul  and  mine.  If 
I  do  him  wrong,  I  will  ask  his  pardon  on  my  knees. 
But  he  is  my  uncle's  friend.  I  go  alone.  There  are 
moments  when  a  woman,  too,  must  be  law  unto  her 
self.  Who  shall  dare  prescribe  to  me  the  etiquette 
of  this  night  ? " 

Her  soft  footfall  was  scarcely  audible  along  the 
narrow,  intricate  corridors  of  the  old  chateau.  Where 
the  floors  were  of  stone,  she  passed  like  a  ghost. 
When  she  heard  a  sound,  she  stood  still,  holding  her 
breath  for  fear,  not  for  herself,  but  for  the  failure  of 
her  undertaking.  If  they  found  her,  they  might 
follow,  and  she  alone  ought  to  know  what  the  old 
Tower  was  doing  this  night. 

She  knelt  an  instant  as  she  reached  her  place  in 


298  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

the  dark  church,  the  prie-dieu  where  she  had  knelt 
as  a  child,  and  prayed  with  wide-open  eyes  watching 
the  blue-uniformed  children  from  an  orphan  school 
file  in  noisily  with  the  Sisters,  whose  black  robes  and 
snow-white  coiffes  and  gentle  faces  moved  about 
quickly  until  the  restless  little  feet  in  heavy  shoes 
were  all  in  their  accustomed  places.  She  used  to 
wonder  why,  since  she  was  an  orphan,  they  did  not 
put  her  in  a  blue  uniform  and  noisy  shoes,  as  she 
sat  in  the  great  Montauban  loge  and  the  breeze  from 
summer  meadows  ruffled  her  hair. 

Now,  in  the  icy-cold,  dark  church  she  prayed  a 
fervent  prayer  for  the  old  man  sleeping  the  broken 
sleep  of  age,  for  the  heroic,  resistant  city,  the  very 
heart  of  France,  and  for  —  ah,  yes,  in  prayer  at  least 
she  might  remember  him :  one  prays  indeed  for  the 
whole  world  —  for  the  man  she  loved. 

She  passed  through  the  church,  feeling  her  way 
by  the  pillars,  perceiving  faintly  the  direction  of  the 
broad  windows,  through  which  not  light,  indeed,  but 
its  dim  suggestion  came.  From  the  choir  she  entered 
the  sacristy,  and  began  to  mount  the  spiral  stairway 
which  led  up,  up  to  the  Tower-room.  At  first  the 
steps  were  easy  and  broad,  but  gradually  they  grew 
rough,  narrow,  and  insecure.  The  ascent  would  not 


AULNAY  TOWER.  299 

have  been  tempting  to  any  woman  at  high  noon; 
but  to  that  fact  she  gave  no  heed,  except  that  she 
mechanically  placed  her  foot  squarely  and  went  slower 
as  the  difficulties  increased.  Before  the  small  door 
of  the  Tower-room  she  paused,  breathing  fast.  Only 
this  screen  between  her  —  and  what  ?  Under  the 
rough  door  was  a  glimmer  of  light.  "  God  be  with 
me,"  she  said,  and  knocked. 

For  answer,  she  heard  a  succession  of  rapid  and 
soft  movements.  Something  like  the  lid  of  a  box 
closed  with  care.  The  glimmer  under  the  door  van 
ished.  Then  there  was  dead  silence.  She  made  no 
sound.  The  door  opened  stealthily.  A  hand,  groping, 
seized  her  arm  roughly;  she  felt  a  cold  muzzle  on 
her  left  temple. 

The  groping  hand  meeting  soft  raiment  and  a 
woman's  form  relaxed  its  hold,  wonderingly;  the 
revolver,  in  dogged  defiance  and  self-defence,  still 
desecrated  her  fair  head  with  its  metallic  touch. 

"  Do  not  fire,  M.  1'Abbe,"  said  a  cold,  proud  voice. 
"  You  might  be  surprised;  and  then  —  it  would  make 
a  noise." 

"  You,  madame  ! "  exclaimed  the  abbe  in  conster 
nation.  Then,  as  if  relieved,  "  I  might  have  known," 
he  murmured. 


300  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

There  was  a  strange  pause  in  the  darkness. 

"  Since  it  must  be,  come  in,"  said  the  abbe*, 
pushing  the  door  open. 

She,  feeling  her  way,  entered. 

He  closed  the  door  after  her,  and  quickly  lighted 
a  caudle.  The  first  thing  she  saw  was  that  the  loop 
hole  windows  through  which  wind  and  sunshine  had 
played  freely  were  hermetically  sealed  with  heavy 
wooden  shutters.  Across  every  embrasure  stretched 
a  wall  of  silence  and  mystery.  The  two  stood 
there  as  in  a  tomb,  and  stared  at  each  other  by  the 
uncertain  candle-light. 

"  Countess,"  said  the  abbe*,  not  much  paler  than  his 
wont,  riot  much  less  calm,  less  master  of  himself, 
"  I  do  not  ask  why  you  are  here.  Since  you  are  here, 
you  are  welcome  to  my  —  laboratory.  Pardon  my 
rude  reception.  I  thought  you  were  a  man,  a  foe. 
Pray  be  seated,  madame,"  courteously  moving  toward 
her  a  chair  standing  against  the  wall. 

"  M.,  1' Abbs'  de  Navailles,"  began  the  cold,  clear 
voice,  "  I  do  ask  you,  without  circumlocution,  why 
are  you  here  ?  And  I  tell  you,  now  and  for  all  time, 
a  woman  may  be  a  deadly  foe." 

He  had  thoroughly  regained  his  composure.  Dark, 
earnest,  with  a  spiritual  calm  beautifying  his  finely 


AULNAY  TOWER.  301 

cut  face,  he  regarded  benignly  the  lovely  woman  who 
stood  before  him,  gallantly  defying  him  here  in  his 
Tower,  where  his  intellect  laughed  to  scorn  the 
lumbering  evolutions  and  circumstance  below. 

"  In  a  certain  sense  we  are  well  matched,"  thought 
the  man.  "If  I  am  cleverer,  she  has  marvellous 
insight,  an  indomitable  singleness  of  purpose,  and 
the  courage  of  a  fiend  or  a  Montauban.  And  am  I 
cleverer,  after  all  ?  " 

"  Why  am  I  here  ?  "  he  answered,  raising  his  eye 
brows  gently.  "  I  am  studying  ;  making  my  observa 
tions,  madame." 

"  Might  I  venture  to  inquire  what  kind  of 
observations  ? " 

His  hesitation  was  barely  perceptible.  "  Astro 
nomical,  madame." 

She  threw  back  her  pale,  beautiful  face  in  ineffable 
scorn.  "With  closed  windows!"  she  said,  with  a 
mocking  smile.  "M.  1'Abbd,  consider!  A  woman 
cannot  always  remain  poised  at  fifteen  between  child 
hood  and  life,  an  innocent  lamb,  a  helpless  tool.  He 
who  adapts  her  to  his  uses  may  forget  the  future. 
But  the  future  comes  on  apace,  —  the  future,  and  the 
day  of  reckoning.  It  is  here  now,  for  us  two.  I  did 
not  seek  it ;  but  we  are  old-time  enemies." 


302  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"Not  enemies,  —  never  enemies,"  interposed  the 
sweet-voiced  abbe. 

"  Always  enemies  ! "  rejoined  the  woman's  low,  pas 
sionate  tone.  "  Why  strive  to  conceal  it  now,  here 
in  the  old  Tower  of  my  race,  with  the  free  night-air 
around  us  and  God's  stars  above  us  ?  What  shall  we 
fear,  you  and  I  ? " 

"  Dear  inadame,  forgive  an  absorbed  student,  if, 
thrown  suddenly  out  of  his  occupation,  he  is  at  first 
a  trifle  inconsiderate,  forgetful  of  ordinary  feminine 
needs.  Perhaps  a  little  sal- volatile  —  "  He  hesitated. 

"You  are  too  wise  to  intrude  society  remedies  upoii 
an  incensed  human  soul,"  she  rejoined  coldly.  "  Sal- 
volatile  or  subterfuge  has  no  mission  here  in  Aulnay 
Tower.  I  am  no  selfish,  flippant,  pretentious  woman, 
demanding  redress  for  fancied  wrongs,  making  nerves 
her  battle-cry.  I  am  not  ill ;  I  am  not  afraid.  I  de 
mand  of  you,  face  to  face,  as  man  to  man,  what  are 
you  doing  here  in  the  dead  of  night  ?  " 

"  Do  I  need  to  remind  you  that  I  am  the  friend 
and  guest  of  the  house,  inadame  ? "  he  asked  gently. 
"  When  have  I  been  required  to  give  account  of  my 
movements  ?" 

"You  dare  to  shelter  yourself  still  behind  the 
hospitality  of  a  Montauban  ?  "  she  flung  at  him  with 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  303 

unspeakable  contempt.  "I,  a  woman,  stand  here 
unaided  by  paltry  excuse.  Throw  off  your  disguise 
of  years.  Meet  me  fairly,  if  you  are  a  man." 

"  So  be  it,"  he  said,  folding  his  arms. 

"  What  is  in  that  chest  ? "  she  demanded,  pointing 
towards  it  imperiously. 

"Instruments.  My  property.  Since  when  has 
the  Countess  de  Vallauris  become  a  police-detective  ? " 
he  replied,  the  softness  of  his  voice  hardly  veiling  his 
satire. 

"  It  is  enough,"  she  said  curtly.  "  I  impeach  the 
chest  in  general,  as  I  impeach  you.  I  have  no  curi 
osity  as  to  its  contents." 

"  Examine  them  if  you  will,  madame." 

She  waved  her  hand  in  refusal.  "Again  I  ask, 
what  are  you  doing  here  in  the  Tower  ? " 

"Again  I  answer,  pursuing  my  studies;  making 
calculations." 

"  You  are  giving  signals  to  our  army,"  she  declared 
low  and  rapidly,  her  eyes  fixed  upon  his  face. 

After  a  moment's  pause,  outwardly  unmoved,  he 
retorted,  with  his  usual  gentleness,  " '  Our  army/ 
madame  ?  Pardon  me  if,  knowing  your  idiosyn 
crasies,  I  am  forced  to  inquire  which  army." 

For  this   thrust   she   was,  in   her   present  mood, 


304  AULNAY  TOWER. 

unprepared.  She  rallied  instantly.  "So  honest  a 
speech  as  that  you  have  never  made  to  me.  Let  me 
be  just." 

"  So  unlovely  a  speech  I  have  never  until  now  had 
occasion  to  make  to  you." 

"A  truce  to  speeches,  good  or  bad,  from  you  tot 
me,"  she  cried,  with  a  gesture  of  impatience.  "I 
accuse  you  of  treachery;  of  dishonoring  the  name 
that  shelters  you,  and  your  own;  of  breaking  your 
parole  as  a  gentleman.  Of  the  Church  I  do  not 
speak." 

"  Madame,  what  are  so  light  as  words  ?  Your 
proofs  ? " 

"  That  you  are  here." 

"  A  woman's  proofs." 

"  I  saw  a  gleam  of  light." 

"  Why  not  ?     My  candle,  as  I  moved  a  shutter." 

"  You  have  long  talks  with  Pierre  and  Antoine." 

"  When  was  I  ever  neglectful  of  my  poor  ? " 

"  You  see  and  hear  all,  feigning  to  be  self-absorbed. 
You  watch  while  you  pray.  Your  eyes  burn  like 
smouldering  fires." 

"Dear  madame,  you  are  wandering  from  your 
theme.  A  description  of  my  unimportant  personality 
is  no  proof  of  what  you  call  treachery." 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  305 

"  There  are  sorties  all  around  us." 

"  Would  you  have  the  French  less  active  and  less 
successful,  madame  ? " 

"  And  —  I  —  I  feel  through  your  calmness,  through 
your  very  silence,  your  clear  foreknowledge  of  our 
movements." 

"  Your  feelings,  madame,  with  all  deference,  would 
have  no  weight  in  any  court.  When  you  accuse  a 
man  of  dishonor,  you  must  be  careful  to  collect  your 
evidence." 

She  started  and  looked  at  him  wonderingly.  "  Not 
yet  ?  "  she  said.  "  As  you  say,  words  are  light.  Those 
burdened  with  most  solemn  accusation  fall  impercep 
tibly  from  you.  I  am  in  truth  no  lawyer  to  quibble 
over  terms ;  and  this  is  no  court  demanding  legal 
proofs.  Yet  because  I,  the  child  of  the  house  which 
has  extended  to  you  the  friendship  of  years,  stand 
here  with  no  witnesses  save  our  own  consciences  and 
God,  charging  you  with  base  perfidy,  with  breaking 
your  pledged  word,  with  disgrace  to  yourself  and  the 
honorable  roof  that  shelters  you,  —  I  demand,  whom 
ever  you  would  evade,  that  you  answer  me." 

He  moved  a  step  away,  then  faced  her  again, 
speaking  softly  :  "  Madame,  in  this  world  honor  and 
dishonor  have  variable  meanings.  I  have  never 

20 


306  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

failed  in  respect  towards  you.  I  ask  you  now,  is 
your  own  conscience  clear  ?  " 

She  waited  silently  for  his  attack. 

"  In  your  interpretation  of  the  word  '  honor/  "  his 
calm,  trained  voice  continued,  "  do  you  allow  a  violent 
passion  for  the  sworn  enemy  of  one's  native  land  ? 
In  my  turn,  I  accuse  you  of  hanging  with  all  your 
heart  and  soul  upon  the  existence  of  your  German 
lover.  I  accuse  you  of  a  consuming  attachment 
which  makes  you  weak  and  blind.  Your  free, 
pure  thought  for  France  has  sickened ;  your  honest 
prejudices  have  vanished.  Lukewarm  to  your  duty, 
you  disregard  the  noblest  opportunities.  You  have 
lost  your  strength  of  moral  purpose.  You  have  re 
nounced  your  land.  You  love  Baron  Nordenfels." 

A  full  long  minute  passed  before  she  answered 
low,  "  And  if  it  were  true  ?  If  I  do  love  him,  what 
then  ? "  She  was  not  looking  at  the  abbe  now,  but 
beyond  him  with  thoughtful  eyes,  and  a  strange  calm 
on  her  white  face. 

"  To  yield  to  such  a  love  is  dishonor ;  to  conquer 
it,  honor ;  to  use  it  with  high  aims,  trampling  upon 
the  natural  instincts,  glorious,"  he  urged. 

"  How  would  one  use  such  love  ? "  demanded  the 
pale  woman  with  slow  and  gentle  utterance. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  307 

Like  the  weird  flash  of  light  on  the  night  skies, 
a  sudden  flame  leaped  into  his  dark  face.  "  How  ? 
Do  you  ask  ?  What  cannot  a  woman  like  you  ac 
complish  if  she  will  ?  Can  one  estimate  the  results, 
had  you  from  the  first  been  docile,  been  far-seeing, 
wise,  —  you,  with  your  marvellous  beauty,  your 
subtle  charm,  that  would  make  you  beautiful  had 
you  no  loveliness  of  face  and  form  ?  Passive,  self- 
absorbed,  like  a  commonplace  woman  whose  highest 
aspiration  is  a  little  billing  and  Cooing  and  then  a 
prosaic  menage,  you  have  lived  now  months  among 
these  men.  They  would  have  adored  you,  worshipped 
you,  been  your  slaves  and  chattels,  had  you  so  willed. 
What  is  men's  adoration  ?  A  breath,  a  brief  intoxi 
cation,  I  grant;  but  the  world  had  never  known  a 
better  use  of  witchery  than  you,  niadame,  could  have 
royally  commanded  here.  Not  a  movement  of  your 
finger  but  might  have  signalled  the  advance  or  re 
treat  of  armies.  Every  glance  of  your  eyes,  every 
low  word  of  your  lips,  could  have  been  consecrated 
to  the  good  of  France.  Ah,  madame,  to  see  your 
intellect,  your  beauty,  dull,  sluggish,  and  purposeless, 
while  France  suffers,  struggles,  bleeds  before  your 
eyes  ;  to  see  you  wasting  your  God-given  powers  in 
cowardice  and  womanish,  weak  desire,  reaching  with 


308  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

every  tendril  of  your  heart  towards  a  love  that  de 
grades  you,  —  this  has  been  agony  to  me  !  "  He 
covered  his  face  and  turned  away. 

She  had  clasped  her  hands  closer  and  closer  as  his 
low,  vehement  words  poured  on.  Now  she  threw 
back  her  head  and  gazed  up  in  solemn  appeal  to 
eternal  justice  and  law. 

"  A  spy,"  she  answered,  her  scorn  so  vast  it  had  no 
vent  save  in  simplicity,  —  "a  spy  is  what  you  would 
have  made  of  me,  —  what  you  are  ! " 

"  Words,  madame,  I  repeat,  have  a  relative  signifi 
cation.  Honor,  dishonor,  spy,  treachery,  you  use 
freely.  Ehetoric  has  no  power  to  wound  me.  A 
petty  measure  cannot  measure  my  life.  I  am  ac 
countable  only  to  my  God."  He  too  looked  up  sol 
emnly,  as  if  seeing  the  boundless  sweep  of  dusky 
heavens  bending  over  him,  and  his  spiritual  rapt  gaze 
sought  fearlessly  his  supreme  judge. 

"  M.  1'Abbe  de  Navailles,  even  in  this  moment 
I  am  thankful  for  one  thing,  —  that  I  have  not 
done  you  a  great  wrong,  an  unpardonable  injustice. 
As  I  mounted  to  this  Tower- room  my  soul  was  on 
its  knees  before  you,  begging  you  to  forgive  if  I  had 
been  so  base  as  to  suspect  you  of  such  badness. 
But  I  need  to  crave  no  pardon  from  you;  my  soul 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  309 

may  stand  erect  before  yours.  God  judge  between 
us.  I  am  alone,  I  am  sorely  tried,  a  woman  without 
hope.  My  faults  and  weaknesses  are  many ;  but 
my  spirit  craves  purity  and  truth ;  and  wherever  I 
fail,  wherever  I  sin,  you  may  not  condemn  me,  for 
your  praise  or  blame  have  no  meaning,  your  prayers, 
your  curse,  no  weight  with  me.  Your  God  is  not  my 
God.  If  I  were  on  my  death-bed,  I  would  forgive 
you  the  wrongs  you  have  done  me  ;  but  never  again 
shall  you  influence  my  life.  False  and  baneful  is 
your  light;  your  smile  is  a  lie,  your  gentleness  a 
poisonous  flower." 

"  Ehetoric  again,"  said  the  abbe*,  mildly. 

She  extended  both  hands,  palms  outward,  with  a 
slow,  repelling  gesture. 

"  I  repudiate  you  and  all  the  cruel  past  that  was 
your  work.  There  was  a  child  here  once,  M.  1'Abbe, 
a  lonely  child,  yet  happy  enough,  being  young.  You 
killed  her  youth,  her  happiness,  her  hope." 

"Dear  countess,  if  you  choose  to  be  romantic  in 
your  retrospection."  He  shrugged  his  shoulders 
slightly. 

"  It  is  not  romance.  It  is  the  sober  truth.  When 
you  brought  the  Count  de  Vallauris  to  Aulnay,  had 
you  no  pity,  had  you  no  heart  ? " 


310  AULNAY   TOWER. 

"Dear  madame,  of  all  things  I  have  my  own 
opinions.  Matrimony  to  me  and  to  a  milliner's 
apprentice  naturally  represents  a  different  force  in 
this  world's  problems.  I  would  have  treated  a  mil 
liner's  apprentice  one  way.  I  treated  Mademoiselle 
de  Montauban  in  another.  I  accredited  her  with  a 
higher  nature,  higher  needs." 

"  And  for  that  reason  you  sacrificed  an  innocent 
child  to  a  profligate  old  man  ? " 

"  Madame,  I  have  every  consciousness  of  having 
done  my  duty  towards  you.  The  Count  de  Vallauris' 
frailties  have  been  summoned  before  a  higher  tribu 
nal.  Peace  to  his  soul !  There  are  some  things  one 
can  scarcely  touch  upon." 

"And  I  believe  it  would  be  a  better  place,  this 
cowardly,  false  world,  if  a  few  rare  souls  should  spurn 
restraint  and  speak  out  plainly  what  they  think. 
What  crimes  are  not  committed  in  the  name  of  tact, 
refinement,  discretion,  —  what  sins  of  meanness  and 
falsehood !  What  have  I  gained  by  silence  through 
the  years  ?  My  resistance  against  you  was  sure  and 
strong.  I  yielded  to  my  conventional  training.  I 
spared  you,  sought  to  shield  you  from  my  own  dis 
trust.  This  is  the  end." 

"  Countess,  even  your  judgment  is  not  infallible,  and 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  311 

your  kindest  impulse  toward  me  may  be  the  truest 
and  the  best.  Consider ;  I  am  twice  as  old  as  you, 
a  thoughtful,  gloomy  man.  How  can  you  probe  my 
conscience  ?  Admit  still  you  may  be  unjust.  Believe 
me,  I  am,  and  must  remain,  an  enigma  to  such  as 
you." 

The  music  of  his  voice  would  have  calmed  a  rest 
less,  frightened  child.  His  lofty,  ascetic  head  towered 
above  her  with  the  spiritual  beauty  of  a  Saint  Casi- 
mir.  Even  in  her  deadly  opposition  she  recognized 
that  he  was  a  man,  that  his  acts  were  guided  by  a 
masterful  intellect,  that  a  less  wronged  mortal  might 
have  yielded  to  his  magnetism,  putting  weak  hands 
in  his,  with  a  trusting  "  Do  with  me  as  you  will." 
But  for  her  his  subtle  mastery  and  his  eloquent 
charm  were  nought.  A  strong,  sun-browned  young 
knight  with  deep-set  eyes  and  fair  hair  like  a  Norse 
hero,  couching  his  lance  in  honor  though  beset  by  a 
thousand  foes,  stood  by  her  now,  unseen,  and  helped 
her  to  overthrow  the  abbe's  precious  casuistries. 

"  The  clay  he  came,  the  yellow  old  count  with 
his  evil  eyes  and  double  chin,  I  cried  because  he  was 
not  like  my  friend  Sophie's  fiance',  —  slender  in  the 
waist,  and  with  a  merry,  young  smile.  Fresh  from 
the  convent,  still  loving  my  row  of  dolls  in  the  glass 


312  AULNAY  TOWER. 

case  in  my  turret-room,  could  I  know  what  horror, 
what  endless  misery  you  were  preparing  for  me  ? " 

"  I,  dear  madame  ?  Am  I  the  instigator  of  human 
necessities  and  social  complications  ?  " 

"  Of  mine,  yes.  Your  insatiable  planning  knows 
no  end,  no  rest.  Your  passion  for  influence  is  beyond 
all  bounds.  Was  it  fortune  for  the  Church,  was 
it  the  hope  of  a  human  life  in  your  clutches,  that 
made  you  sacrifice  that  poor  child  I  once  was  ? " 

"  Madame,  madame,  believe  me,  you  do  me  gross 
injustice,"  interposed  his  gentle  remonstrance. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  day  they  told  me  I  was  to 
marry  him  ?  He  kissed  me  on  my  cheek  before  you 
all.  I  ran  upstairs,  and  with  the  nail-brush  and 
much  soap  scoured  my  face  relentlessly,  my  solemn, 
sympathetic  row  of  dolls  looking  on.  God  knows  I 
would  wash  away  from  my  life  every  loathsome 
touch  and  word  of  his  that  chilled  my  youth  for 
ever." 

"  Madame  !  "  deprecatingly. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  know.  In  our  world  everything  is 
admissible  save  the  honest  expression  of  human  feel 
ing.  But  do  not  fear.  The  story  of  my  wrongs  shall 
never  weary  you.  I  tried  to  be  patient,  to  endure,  to 
have  courage.  Yet  now  as  I  look  back  upon  that 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  313 

lonesome  time,  I  tell  you  that  you  are  responsible  for 
every  odious  moment,  for  every  loveless  memory. 
Did  you  all  wonder  that  I  wept  so  long  when  he 
died  ?  I  was  weeping,  not  for  him,  but  for  what 
might  have  been  and  was  not, — for  my  lost  and 
desecrated  youth,  vaguely  for  the  love  I  had  not 
known,  and  longing  passionately  to  purify  my  life 
from  every  unhallowed  association." 

"  Milkmaid  romanticism  ! "  murmured  the  abbe*. 

"  He  died  well  shrived.  That  is  the  best  that  can 
be  said.  Ah,  how  well  I  remember  it  all,  every  de 
tail  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  My  aunt  told  me 
in  those  first  days  that  very  vulgar  notions  were  poi 
soning  the  Sacre*  Coeur.  In  her  time  there  was  no 
thought  of  lovers.  One  took  what  was  presented  to 
one.  She  was  affectionately  astonished  at  my  feeble 
and  ignorant  resistance.  It  did  not  last  very  long. 
I  said  he  was  old  and  ugly.  '  It  did  not  matter/  she 
replied,  '  he  is  a  Vallauris.  In  these  days  of  mesal 
liances,  of  irreligion  and  emancipation,  it  is  the  duty 
and  the  privilege  of  a  Montauban  to  follow  the  old 
regime.  The  blessing  of  the  Church  rests  upon  the 
union  of  a  Vallauris  and  a  Montauban.'  I  listened, 
and  yielded  from  the  mere  habit  of  obedience.  I 
regularly  washed  off  the  touch  of  his  lips  from  my 


314  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

cheek,  from  my  hand,  and  went  to  the  altar  in  good 
spirits,  much  interested  in  my  first  long  train.  God 
pity  rne ! " 

"  Is  your  fate,  then,  so  different  from  that  of  other 
women  ? "  inquired  the  gentle  voice. 

"  I  do  not  know.  I  do  not  ask.  I  had  one  chance. 
You  gambled  with  it.  I  had  my  girlhood,  my  illu 
sions.  You  destroyed  them." 

"  Why  summon  these  reminiscences  to  occupy  us 
now  ? " 

"  Because,  once  before  I  die,  I  would  like  to  free 
my  mind  of  the  old  weight.  Now,  for  the  first  time, 
I  know  what  I  have  lost,  and  what  your  sin  against 
me  is.  You  sneer  at  what  you  call  commonplace, 
womanish  desires.  Know,  then,  these  would  com 
prise  my  horizon  of  happiness,  —  the  man  I  love 
beside  me,  and  my  children  on  my  breast,  something 
near,  something  warm  ;  not  these  separate  cold  worlds 
rolling  on  in  mysterious  space  like  you  and  the  dear 
old  uncle  and  me.  Is  that  life  ? " 

"  And  your  ambition  is  so  low  ?  Has  the  German 
done  all  this?" 

"Ah,"  she  said  simply,  "a  woman  has  but  one 
life,  but  one  chance  of  happiness.  It  is  —  love." 

"  And  her  country  ?  " 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  315 

"  A  woman's  home  is  her  country." 
"  Is  there  no  higher  voice  than  her  own  desires  ?  " 
"  God  created  her  to  love  and  to  be  loved." 
"  To  love  a  foreigner  and  an  enemy  ? " 
"  Who  shall  condemn  ?      We  are  foreign  to  life 
long  neighbors.     There  are  foes  in  our  own  house 
holds.      Friends  are   born,  not  made  ;    and   longing 
souls  traverse  unwittingly  geographical  lines,  politi 
cal  boundaries,  and  time  and  space,  to  meet.      No 
language,   no    nation,   monopolizes    love.      Love   is 
boundless,  universal,  eternal,  the  spirit  of  the  living 
God." 

"  That  means,  then,  you  will  marry  him  ? " 
A  strange,   wondering  look  overspread   her   face. 
"  Marry  him  ?  "  she  repeated  softly. 

"And  forget,  between  your  kisses,  the  Frenchmen 
your  lover  has  slain  ?  " 

She  straightened  herself  haughtily.  "  M.  1'Abbe", 
I  have  already  intimated  to  you  that  you  have  no 
share  in  my  fate.  Moreover,  not  to  be  questioned, 
but  to  question,  am  I  here.  What  I  may  choose  to 
do,  to  be,  I  determine  regardless  of  you.  Leave  me 
henceforth  out  of  your  calculations ;  our  ways  are 
apart.  You  are  a  false  friend,  a  traitor." 

"Madame,   you  accuse   me,   I   accuse   you.     But 


316  AULNAY   TOWER. 

recrimination  is  not  argument.  Let  us  come  to  some 
conclusion." 

"  You  have  broken  your  pledged  word.  You 
have  betrayed  the  honor  of  our  house.  That  is  my 
conclusion." 

"  As  I  have  previously  said,  madame,  of  that  you 
have  no  proofs." 

"  Proofs !  I  know.  I  could  expose  you  to  the 
world." 

"  But  you  would  not,  countess,  even  if  all  you  say 
were  true,"  he  rejoined  quietly.  "  A  friend  of  the 
Marquis  de  Montauban,  a  lover  of  France,  is  safe 
with  you,  though  he  were  thrice  a  traitor.  Person 
ally,  I  trust  myself  with  you  as  if  you  were  my 
angel.  And  yet,  remember,  madame,  for  justice'  sake, 
you  have  no  proof." 

"  You  can  never  deceive  me  again,"  she  said.  "  It 
is  well  that  I  came.  Now  I  will  go.  And  what  use 
I  shall  make  of  my  discovery  I  do  not  promise." 

He  smiled  in  perfect  security.  "  I  know  you, 
madame.  I  trust  you  to  the  death." 

"  Rely  upon  nothing.  I  must  think.  I  shall  do 
what  seems  right.  Between  us  two  is  not  the  shadow 
of  a  bond." 

She  opened  the  door. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  317 

"  Softly,  countess,  and  slowly.  Will  you  not  take 
my  hand  ? " 

"  I  fear  nothing.     Remain  where  you  are." 

"  As  you  wish,"  he  whispered.  "  It  is  true,  you  are 
safer  alone." 

Down  the  interminable  winding  stairs,  through 
the  little  church,  the  echoing  gallery,  the  silent  cor 
ridors,  she  made  her  way,  unseen,  back  to  her  turret- 
room.  Looking  round  on  its  innocent  four  walls, 
it  seemed  to  her  she  had  returned  from  the  unreal, 
barren,  dreary  journey  of  a  terrible  dream.  "  Would 
it  were  a  dream!"  she  moaned.  "Would  I  could 
awake  from  this  oppression,  doubt,  and  loneliness  !  or 
would  I  might  never  wake  again ! " 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  last,  supreme,  desperate  effort  of  the  de 
fenders  of  Paris  took  place  on  the  19th  of  January, 
when  a  sortie  from  Mont  Valerien  was  attempted 
with  one  hundred  thousand  men.  This  also  failed 
to  break  through  the  besieging  lines.  The  situation 
of  Paris  was  hopeless. 

At  the  Saxon  headquarters  they  were  planning 
revenge  for  Nonneville.  It  was  decided  that  Grosley 
Farm,  since  the  21st  of  December  strongly  occupied 
by  the  French,  should  be  attacked  in  the  early  morn 
ing  of  the  19th. 

Adjutant  von  ISTorclenfels  brought  the  command 
from  Vert  Galant  towards  evening  of  the  18th. 
Colonel  von  Linden  conferred  with  two  of  his  most 
determined  company  chefs,  and  walking  up  and  clown 
in  a  long  alley  of  the  park,  communicated  to  them 
the  instructions.  Upon  von  Nordenfels,  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  whole  region,  devolved  the  re 
sponsibility  of  accompanying  the  column  in  order  to 


A  ULNA  Y   TOWER.  319 

effect  a  junction  between  the  Grenadiers  attacking 
Grosley  Farm  and  the  Prussian  Guards  who  were 
to  advance  simultaneously  upon  the  neighboring  vil 
lage  of  Drancy.  At  four  o'clock  two  companies 
of  Grenadiers  were  to  stand  at  the  south  side  of 
Aulnay,  and  from  there  take  the  road  along  the 
wood  towards  Grosley  Farm.  All  details  were  dis 
cussed  exhaustively. 

Madame  de  Yallauris,  anxious  and  watchful  now 
as  a  conspirator,  saw  the  officers  stroll  into  the  park 
and  later  return  to  the  chateau.  Moved  by  a  curious 
instinct  she  quickly  started  down  the  path  from 
which  they  had  come.  In  the  dusk  she  met  the 
abbe*  face  to  face,  pacing  slowly  by  the  thuya  groups, 
his  arms  folded  across  his  breast,  his  thoughtful  head 
bent  down. 

"  Ah,  madame,  have  you  come  out  for  a  little  air  ? " 
he  said  pleasantly. 

"  You  have  been  listening,  M.  1'AbbeV' 

"  To  the  wind  in  the  tree-tops." 

"  To  the  plans  of  the  Germans." 

"  The  park  is  large.  There  is  room  for  them  and 
me.  *  I  did  not  disturb  the  gentlemen." 

"  Ah,  shame  !  "   she  murmured  in  distress. 

"You  are   trembling,   madame,"   he   said   kindly. 


320  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

"  It  is  a  cliilly  evening.  Pray  do  not  remain  standing 
here.  Shall  we  not  walk  ? " 

"  I  tremble  from  indignation,  from  pain  and  horror. 
You  will  betray  them,  now,  up  there,  in  the  Tower. 
In  some  secret  way  you  will  reveal  what  you  have 
heard,  and  work  against  them.  You  cannot  deny  it." 

"  Would  you  wish  me  to  work  for  them  ? "  he 
asked  quickly. 

"Not  that,"  she  said,  —  "not  that,  but  all  in  honor." 

"Do  not  be  agitated,  countess.  Let  us  go  in  now. 
Why  disturb  yourself,  indeed  ? "  he  pleaded. 

"  Promise  me  not  to  go  up.  to  the  Tower  this  night. 
Promise  it  for  all  our  sakes.  Let  the  victory  be  as 
God  wills.  See,  I  am  speaking  now  without  reproach, 
or  heat,  or  rancor." 

"You  are  speaking  like  an  angel,"  he  rejoined, 
touched  by  her  sorrowful  voice ;  "  but  the  victory 
will  be  as  God  wills,  whether  I  go  east  or  west." 

"  I  beg,  I  implore  you  not  to  go  to  the  Tower." 

"  Why  should  your  thoughts  dwell  continually  on 
the  Tower  ? "' 

"  Do  not  seek  to  evade.     It  is  too  late." 

"  You  are  imaginative,  madame." 

"On  the  contrary,  I  know  the  Germans  have  some 
deep  plan  afoot.  I  know  you  will  thwart  them  if 


AULNAY  TOWER.  321 

you  can.  I  know,  too,  we  have  been  watched  and 
set  free  alternately  in  an  inexplicable  manner.  Un 
doubtedly  we  are  still  under  surveillance.  Undoubt 
edly  your  mysterious  night-messages  are  suspected. 
Now  I  understand  what  seemed  a  heartless  insult 
to  our  honorable  house.  See,  I  am  talking  plain 
sense,  facts.  I  warn  you  for  your  own  sake.  If 
you  go  on,  you  are  in  personal  danger." 

"  In  any  event,  the  weakest  plea  to  use  to  me,"  he 
interposed  gently. 

"I  grant  that,"  she  returned  in  the  same  low, 
hurried  tone.  "  I  do  not  doubt  your  bravery.  Then, 
for  my  uncle's  sake.  He  loves  you.  Peril  to  you 
would  make  him  wretched.  You  refuse  to  consider 
the  honor  of  his  house.  But  you  are  his  friend ;  for 
friendship's  sake,  for  affection's  sake,  and  long  com 
panionship,  do  not  hurt  him  so  cruelly.  There  are 
things  one  cannot  do,  weapons  one  cannot  stoop  to 
use,  no,  not  to  save  one's  soul." 

"  You  do  not  know  how  you  pain  me/'  he  returned 
with  deep  sadness. 

"  You  remain  obdurate,  insensible  to  every  appeal  ? 

Honor  has  no  weight  with  you,  nor  friendship  and 

old  ties,  nor  that  I  come  in  tears  and  beg,  —  that  I 

beg  of  you !     It  seems  to  me  that  that  alone  might 

21 


322  AULNAY  TOWER. 

move  you,  for  I  have  never  loved  or  trusted  you,  or 
asked  aught  at  your  hands.  In  kindness,  gentleness, 
I  beg  you,  let  me  not  plead  in  vain.  I  will  forget  the 
past,  I  will  forget  what  I  know.  Kenounce  your  pur 
pose,  sacrifice  it  to  my  prayer." 

"  You  grieve  me  much,"  he  said  softly. 

"  Once  more  I  entreat  you." 

"  I  promise  nothing ;  and  observe,  I  admit  nothing, 
madame." 

"  Then  hold  me  responsible  for  nothing,"  she  ex 
claimed  desperately.  "  I  warn  you.  I  cannot  longer 
share  an  evil  secret.  It  oppresses  me,  terrifies  me. 
The  air  has  murder  in  it.  It  is  a  dastardly,  dishonor 
able  thing  that  you  mean  to  do  this  night." 

"The  choice  of  words  is  yours,  madame.  Your 
fancy  leads  you  far,"  he  returned  gently. 

"  I  am  free  to  reveal  your  course  to  whomever  I 
will." 

" '  Free '  ?  Ah,  madame,  you  cannot  reveal  what 
you  do  not  know.  But  if  the  innermost  thoughts  of 
my  brain,  and  the  deepest  desire  of  my  heart,  and  my 
life  itself  lay  at  your  mercy,  I  would  have  no  fear  of 
you.  No,  not  even  in  your  lover's  arms  would  you 
betray  me.  You  are  a  rare  soul.  I  trust  you,  I 
reverence  you.  Whatever  comes,  remember  that. 


AULNAY   TOWER.  323 

Eemember,  too,  a  man's  whole  scheme  of  duty  may 
conflict  with  yours,  and  yet  "  —  he  paused  an  instant 
— "  it  is  his  duty,  and  he  follows  it.  For  this  mo 
ment's  pain,  forgive  me.  It  is  inevitable.  Yet,  believe 
me,  I  grieve  to  see  you  suffer.  And  now  go  in,  ma- 
dame,  I  beg.  It  is  cold  here,  and  you  have  nothing 
to  gain  from  me  by  remaining.  All  as  God  wills." 

Sad,  and  vaguely  alarmed,  she  returned  to  the  cha 
teau  and  went  directly  in  to  dinner,  her  face  extremely 
pale,  her  eyes  luminous  from  the  air  and  darkness  and 
her  great  excitement.  The  abbe*  came  in  shortly  after, 
gentle  and  unmoved.  The  marquis  prattled  like  an  un 
conscious  child  to  her,  to  him,  to  them  all,  and  after 
wards  sat  down  cheerfully  to  a  game  of  be'zique. 

Later,  Nordenfels  and  the  countess  stood  in  the 
library,  where  he  had  begged  her  to  come.  It  did  not 
surprise  her  that  he  gravely  asked,  or  that  she  simply 
came  with  him,  or  that  he  closed  the  doors,  then  stood 
there  tall  and  silent,  looking  at  her.  She  had  never 
seen  his  face  so  earnest.  Again  he  wore  a  tea-rose 
from  Vert  Galant.  She  fastened  her  eyes  upon  it, 
and  felt  strangely  miserable,  and  knew  not  w,hat  she 
feared. 

"  I  thank  you  for  granting  me  an  interview,"  he  said. 

"  I  had  no  wish  to  refuse  you." 


324  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  This  will  be  a  critical  night.  I  need  not  hesitate 
to  tell  you  that." 

"  I  feel  it,  without  words/'  she  murmured. 

"  I  do  not  know  why  my  mood  is  so  heavy.  Action 
has  always  roused  me  before  this.  You  will  not  think 
I  am  a  coward,  if  I  tell  you  I  am  depressed  and  sad  ? " 
He  smiled  a  little  as  he  spoke. 

She  could  have  wept  for  grief  and  fear.  She  trem 
bled,  but  made  an  effort  to  control  herself.  "  You  are 
very  sombre.  Does  a  brave  man  have  premonitions 
like  a  foolish  woman  ? " 

He  came  nearer  and  spoke  lower,  and  took  her 
hands,  and  drew  her  towards  him.  "  There  are  many 
things  a  brave  man  may  fear.  It  may  be  some  of  us 
will  never  come  back.  It  may  be  I  shall  never  see 
your  face  again.  It  may  be  —  who  knows  what  the 
chances  are  ? "  he  said  abruptly.  "  Death  may  be 
near  or  far ;  but  I  cannot  go  from  you  this  night  with 
out  telling  you  once  more  how  I  love  you,  how  truly 
and  tenderly  —  with  my  whole  soul." 

She  grew  paler  under  his  gaze,  and  caught  her 
breath  with  a  suppressed  sob.  "  Let  us  go  back  to 
the  others,"  she  said  faintly. 

"Not  to-night.  Do  not  silence  me  to-night.  I 
love  you  —  love  you  —  love  you  —  Nathalie  1 " 


AULNAY   TOWER.  325 

She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  How  sweet  his 
voice  was  !  Where  should  she  find  strength  to  resist  ? 

Suddenly  he  put  his  arms  round  her,  and  kissed 
her  bent  head,  her  hands,  her  hair,  with  innumerable 
kisses,  holding  her  close  against  his  breast  and  mur 
muring,  "  Forgive  me  —  dear  heart  —  my  love  — 
forgive ! " 

One  moment  she  lay  in  his  arms,  unresisting,  then 
she  drew  back  and  raised  her  sad  eyes  to  his. 

"  If  you  would  say  once  that  you  love  me,"  he 
pleaded. 

"  I  could  have  loved  you  well." 

He  smiled  his  radiant,  glad  smile.  "  That  is 
enough.  You  love  me,  then." 

"  There  is  a  world  of  sin  and  pain  between  us." 

"We  will  bridge  it  over,"  he  replied,  extending 
eager  arms. 

"  No,  no ! "  She  shuddered  and  drew  back,  "  There 
are  rivers  of  blood  between  us,  and  graves,  and 
anguish,  and  the  battlefields  of  France.  Nothing 
can  bridge  those  over." 

Thoughtfully  he  looked  at  her.  Most  lovingly 
and  simply  he  spoke :  "  Have  we  not  discussed  that 
before  ?  Trust  me,  it  will  not  last.  Trust  me,  be 
loved!  Let  me  go  from  you  with  your  promise." 


326  AULNAY  TOWER. 

"  I  will  pray  for  you,"  she  murmured. 

"  As  my  promised  wife  ? "  persisted  his  loving 
voice. 

She  looked  at  him  with  infinite  longing.  "  His 
promised  wife!"  All  peace,  all  loveliness,  all  bliss, 
was  comprised  in  those  three  words.  Like  a  fleeting 
dream  of  a  lost  paradise  she  saw  what  might  have 
been.  She  looked  at  him  and  longed  to  whisper,  — 
"  Take  me  and  love  me ;  you  are  my  fearless,  perfect 
knight.  You  restore  to  me  the  freshness  of  my 
belief  in  man's  goodness  and  man's  honor.  I  have 
no  life  but  you."  She  looked  at  him  and  longed  to 
say  as  to  her  other  self,  "  What  I  know,  you  must 
know.  Your  secret  plans  this  night  are  revealed. 
You  go  to  meet  a  warned  and  dangerous  foe.  There 
is  perfidy  lurking  near.  Be  cautious;  be  wise;  or, 
better,  do  not  go."  But  she  only  said,  "As  your 
friend,  no  more,  I  will  pray  for  you." 

"  Nathalie,  there  is  nothing  real  between  us,"  he 
exclaimed  passionately. 

"  There  is  my  country,  my  religion." 

"  A  woman's  home  is  her  country." 

Had  she  not  used  those  very  words  ?  But  now  she 
answered,  "  Not  mine." 

"  And   religion  ? "    he  repeated   simply.      "  What 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  327 

does  that  matter  ?  Why  should  you  not  keep  your 
religion  and  I  my  own  ? " 

"  I  cannot,"  she  cried  desperately.  "  Have  pity. 
Do  not  urge  me."  Always  she  was  thinking  of  the 
Tower  and  its  fatal  secret. 

He  waited  an  instant.  "  You  are  confused,"  he 
began  gravely.  "  You  are  weary.  These  war-times 
prevent  you  from  seeing  clearly.  But  war  and  win 
ter  will  pass  away/'  —  how  his  voice  thrilled  her !  — 
"  and  another  time  will  come  for  us  two,  —  spring 
time  and  love  and  happiness.  Ah,  do  not  think  me 
too  bold,  too  sure  !  But  I  love  you  so,  and  you  have 
given  me  the  right  to  believe  I  am  dear  to  you. 
Why,  then,  shall  I  not  hope  ?  I  would  be  no  man  if 
if  I  could  give  you  up.  And  for  a  shadow  —  never  ! " 

Should  she  not  warn  him  ?  He  stood  there  so 
beautiful  in  his  tenderness,  so  strong  in  his  hope, 
so  brave,  so  true.  If  he  were  going  forth  to  die ! 
If  the  very  signal  flashing  this  instant  from  the 
Tower  should  bring  death  to  him  —  to  him  !  Why 
not  ?  It  would  mean  death  to  many.  She  could 
not  bear  it.  Life  was  too  cruel.  War,  hideous 
war  everywhere,  and  her  soul  in  agonies  of  doubt. 
Should  she  warn  him  ?  But  the  signals  in  the  Tower, 
wicked  though  they  were,  wrould  gleam  for  France. 


328  AULNAY  TOWER. 

It  was  all  wrong.  Life  was  one  great,  cruel,  con 
flicting  pain. 

"  Are  you  frightened  ? "  Max  resumed  lovingly. 
"  Did  I  frighten  you  ?  You  are  so  pale,  so  wan. 
Dearest,  forgive  me  before  I  go,  for  everything.  I  have 
been  awkward  with  you  and  abrupt.  But  it  has 
not  been  an  easy  time  for  me.  It  has  been  hard  for 
us  both.  I  must  leave  you.  There  is  so  much  I 
thought  I  had  to  say.  I  have  forgotten  all  except 
that  I  love  you.  Ah,  the  little  rose  !  I  brought  it  for 
you  from  Vert  Galant." 

"  I  have  kept  the  other,"  she  murmured  half  in- 
audibly.  "  I  shall  always  keep  it.  It  is  enough. 
Wear  this  one  as  your  talisman."  She  pressed  a 
long  kiss  in  its  heart,  and  with  trembling  hands 
slipped  it  again  through  his  buttonhole. 

"  I  shall  come  back,"  he  said,  "  and  then  you  will 
say  '  Yes/  " 

"  I  shall  say  '  No '  —  always  —  forever." 

The  Tower,  the  cruel  Tower ! 

"  Farewell.  God  bless  you !  I  must  go.  Your 
promise  would  have  made  me  glad  and  strong.  But 
I  can  wait.  When  you  are  one  day  my  own  beloved 
wife,  you  will  forget  that  we  are  not  of  one  land, 
one  race.  Believe  me.  Trust  me." 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  329 

"I  who  love  you,  love  you  so,  ain  letting  you  go 
forth  to  your  death,"  was  her  whole  thought.  She 
trembled  violently. 

"  Farewell."  Exhausted  from  her  conflict,  hope 
less,  she  felt  herself  clasped  in  his  strong  arms  and 
kissed  silently,  her  forehead,  eyelids,  cheeks,  and  lips. 
"  Now  —  now,  surely,  I  shall  come  back,  my  own 
beloved,"  he  murmured  exultingly. 

The  night  was  very  dark.  A  bleak  west  wind 
blew  from  Grosley  Farm.  There  was  no  rest  for 
her,  and  if  in  her  soul  patriotism  had  conquered 
love,  love  struggled  still  and  asked  in  wild  reproach, 
"Why  have  you  wronged  me  so? " 

No  sound  came  from  the  black,  silent  mass.  The 
troops  began  to  muster.  She  saw  them  go  by.  Nor- 
denfels  rode  under  the  lanterns  of  the  court,  with  a 
long  searching  look  towards  her  window.  She  saw 
the  rose  distinctly.  His  face  looked  gray  and  stern. 

They  were  gone.  What  would  come  from  this 
night  ?  Where  were  they  going  ?  What  did  it 
mean  ?  It  was  terrible  to  be  a  woman,  to  suffer  and 
never  to  act.  She  waited  with  nameless  dread  a 
long  and  wretched  hour.  She  opened  her  window. 
There  were  regular  steps  down  in  the  court.  It 
struck  five.  She  heard  in  the  distance  scattering 


330  AULNAY  TOWER. 

shots,  a  long,  deep  hurrah,  more  scattering  fire,  then 
stillness. 

At  this  moment  a  rider  on  a  foaming  horse  dashed 
into  the  court-yard,  where  von  Linden  paced  rest 
lessly  to  and  fro,  listening,  waiting.  The  orderly 
passed  the  colonel  a  paper  on  which  were  three 
words,  "Aulnay  Tower  signals." 

Colonel  von  Linden  gave  a  "brief  order  to  an 
officer,  who  sprang  towards  the  guard-house,  and 
returned  immediately  with  an  under-officer  and  three 
men,  entered  the  chateau,  passed  through  it,  the  gal 
lery,  and  the  church,  and  ascended  the  Tower.  The 
door  of  the  Tower-room  was  locked.  They  beat  it 
open  with  the  butt-ends  of  their  guns.  By  the 
gleam  of  a  blind  lantern  they  perceived  two  figures. 
Two  shots  from  a  revolver  greeted  the  intruders. 
Instantly  the  abbe*,  pierced  through  the  breast  by 
the  uuder-officer's  bayonet,  sank  lifeless  upon  the 
floor.  The  other  figure  was  seized,  disarmed,  bound, 
and  led  into  the  court,  where  he  was  discovered  to  be 
one  of  the  fishers  on  the  Ourcq  Canal.  Concealed 
upon  his  person  were  memoranda  in  the  abbe's  hand 
writing  giving  minute  information  as  to  the  position 
and  strength  of  the  German  troops,  as  well  as  sketches 
of  the  recently  constructed  batteries  near  Aulnay  and 


AULNAY  TOWER.  331 

Fontenay  Farm.  The  fisher  Antoine  was  shot  the 
following  day,  Pierre  placed  in  safe  keeping. 

From  Grosley  Farm  was  now  heard  the  sound  of 
renewed  and  violent  musketry-fire,  which  continued 
persistently,  then  suddenly  ceased.  An  officer  soon 
arrived  at  Aulnay  with  the  announcement  that  Gros 
ley  Farm  was  taken,  five  officers  and  over  a  hundred 
men  prisv  ers.  The  renewed  fire  had  been  caused 
by  French  reinforcements  who  had  been  driven  back 
by  the  Prussian  Guards  coming  from  Drancy.  Gros 
ley  Farm  was  burnt  to  the  ground.  The  two  Grena 
dier  companies  returned  in  triumph  to  Aulnay. 

It  was  clear  daylight  as  they  marched  into  the 
village.  Behind  them  the  wounded  slowly  followed, 
and  still  later  five  ambulances  bearing  the  bodies  of 
the  brave  fellows  who  had  paid  with  their  lives  for 
the  victory. 

In  this  sad  group,  on  one  of  the  last  stretchers,  lay 
Max  von  Nordenfels,  living  still,  but  unconscious,  and 
dangerously  wounded.  A  musket-ball  had  pierced 
his  breast  exactly  where  Nathalie  had  placed  her 
talisman,  the  rose  of  Vert  Galant. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MANETTE,  with  vivid  green  satin  ribbons  fluttering 
from  her  coquettish  cap,  her  dainty  apron,  her  sleeves, 
her  skirts,  danced  ecstatically  through  chateau  and 
village. 

"But,  no!  This  appropriateness !"  she  would  ex 
claim  to  Wackermann,  as  she  and  her  vast  good- 
natured  grinning  swain  met  by  her  appointment  in 
odd  corners  and  the  twilight.  Though  there  seemed 
to  be  no  earthly  reason  why  they  should  not  meet  in 
broad  daylight  anywhere,  and  at  any  time,  as  honest 
lovers  on  the  eve  of  marriage,  Manette  insisted  upon 
the  rendezvous  system. 

"The  magnifying-glass  is  death  to  illusions,"  she 
reflected.  "A  perfect  toilet  should  be  a  profound 
mystery,  and  love  also  needs  subtle  draperies,  con 
voluted  surprises.  Why  sit  and  stare  at  my  good 
Wackermann  by  stuffy  lamplight,  when  the  vegetable- 
garden  invites  us  to  its  shades  ?  Expectation  makes 
a  blessing  dear ;  and  then  in  the  enhancing  darkness 


AULNAY  TOWER.  333 

he  can  think  I  'm  anybody  he  chooses,  and  I  can  find 
in  him  all  the  charmers  I  have  known. 

"  Just  Heaven  !  I  shall  rendezvous  until  I  'in  gray, 
with  Wackermann,  —  of  course  with  Wackermann  ! 
If  everybody  knew  his  trade  as  well  as  I  do  mine, 
the  world  would  go  smoother.  The  toilet  and  the 
heart,  —  that  is  the  twin  study  to  which  I  devote 
my  powers ;  and,  modestly  speaking,  I  am  a  success. 
Mystery,  mystery  is  indispensable  in  both  depart 
ments." 

Foolish  little  Manette,  the  child  of  this  generation, 
may  have  been  wiser  in  her  generation  than  the  chil 
dren  of  light.  While  her  display  of  ribbons  and  ideas 
provoked  a  smile,  her  swift  light  feet,  her  steady 
hand,  her  practical,  shrewd  head,  were  helpful  to  an 
extreme  degree  to  the  Countess  Nathalie ;  and  as 
well  as  Manette  knew  how  to  count  her  pennies  and 
buy  her  ribbons  cheap,  she  spared  neither  time  nor 
pains,  nor  her  energies,  nor  good  hours  of  rest  and 
sleep,  but  spent  them  all  with  a  grand  extravagance 
for  her  mistress. 

Sententious,  flippant,  pretentious,  and  honest,  the 
most  expert  actress,  the  veriest,  most  transparent 
child,  the  little  maid  played  her  elfish,  eccentric  part 
well  in  this  world's  drama,  and  Nathalie  loved  her 


334  AULNAY  TOWER. 

gratefully.  "  I  do  not  know  what  others  see  in 
her,"  she  said  once  long  after,  "  but  the  comfort  she 
was  to  me  in  those  terrible  months  I  can  never  ex 
press.  Her  words  and  ways  are  absurd.  Her  actual 
being  is  dear  and  good.  One  learns  many  things  in 
war-times." 

"  Green  ribbons  are  my  duty,"  Manette  announced. 
"  From  my  duty  I  never  shrink.  Green  is  my  most 
unbecoming  color,  one  distinct  step  worse  than  blue. 
What  does  it  matter  ?  Green  is  one  of  the  vicissi 
tudes  of  changeful  time.  I  endure  with  stoicism, 
with  heroic  smiles.  I  knew  enough  —  few  women 
would  have  been  sly  enough  for  that  —  to  choose 
satin,  not  gros-grain.  When  a  color  does  not  suit, 
satin  lends  a  shimmer,  a  subtlety.  Gros-grain  is  pro 
nounced  honesty,  clear  and  uncompromising.  None 
of  that  for  me !  Let  my  pills  be  threefold  sugar- 
coated!  Otherwise  life  is  unscrupulously  disagree 
able.  Green  —  green,  was  that  easy  for  me  to  swallow, 
with  my  sallow  skin,  my  yellow  influence,  my  round 
black  eyes,  that  demanded  a  mellow  glamour  of  blind 
ing  color  and  tone  ?  But  green  I  wear,  though  the 
skies  fall.  In  the  stars  it  is  written.  Wait,"  she 
said  to  Wackermann,  "  till  the  rosy  spring  bursts 
forth." 


AULNAY  TOWER.  335 

"  Spring  is  n't  rosy,"  answered  her  smiling  giant. 

"  Never  mind,  stupid.  You  do  not  understand.  All 
the  better.  Every  great  mind  works  alone.  In  the 
springtime,  in  the  springtime  you  will  open  your 
sleepy  blue  eyes  to  see  the  rose-colored  ribbons, 
love's  banners,  flying  everywhere. 

"  Just  Heaven  !  He  dangerously  wounded  ;  you 
slightly  wounded !  He  forced  to  remain ;  you  per 
mitted  to  remain !  She  the  gracious  countess,  I  her 
devoted  maid,  called  upon  for  different  yet  similar 
services  !  The  appropriateness  !  The  arrangement ! 
The  unique  and  perfect  picture  !  Don't  talk  to  me 
about  his  not  recovering.  There  is  always  a  denoih- 
ment.  Things  don't  end  in  any  slipshod  way.  What 
began  with  trumpets  and  inspiring  flags  and  beautiful 
dears  in  uniforms  does  n't  go  out  like  a  tallow  dip. 
Nature,  too,  has  its  appropriateness.  Mark  my  words. 
The  doctor  may  look  solemn,  the  countess  may  look 
pale,  but  the  patient 's  going  to  recover.  Max  Baron 
von  Nordenfels  will  be  his  handsome,  strong  self 
again,  with  an  elegant  way  of  walking,  and  speaking, 
and  mounting  his  horse,  that  nobody  ever  did  see. 
After  the  green  ribbons  of  hope  will  follow  the 
glowing  rose  of  dawning  love,  —  the  rose  of  promise 
and  of  passion.  Just  Heaven !  How  bewitching  I 


336  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

shall  look!  Ten  years  younger  than  in  green,  and 
a  world  more  innocent.  Wackermann  will  scarcely 
recognize  me.  All  the  better.  The  unbecoming, 
discreetly  chosen,  has  also  its  uses." 

The  people  were  coming  back  to  the  village 
now,  wan,  hungry-looking  beings,  to  their  battered, 
misused  houses.  One  home  had  lost  a  mother 
during  the  siege;  another,  the  strong  and  cheery 
father;  and  many  a  young  son  was  missing.  Yet 
the  war  was  over,  spring  would  soon  burst  forth 
from  the  silent  earth,  and  hope  began  to  blossom  in 
the  village  heart.  The  plain  grew  vast  and  still  again, 
except  for  small,  rustic  sounds.  The  sharp,  cruel  mus 
ketry,  the  roll  of  artillery,  the  smoke,  the  flash,  the 
clank  of  arms,  the  ominous  human  tramp,  the  rhyth 
mical,  eloquent  hoof,  —  all  was  gone.  Bound  the  wise 
old  Tower  played  balmy  February  breezes,  the  har 
bingers  of  spring ;  and  not  one  of  its  gray  stones 
betrayed  what  it  had  known  and  seen. 

The  marquis  missed  the  abbe*  at  first,  but  not,  in 
deed,  as  youth  mourns  for  a  friend.  "  It  was  a  sad 
thing,"  he  would  say.  "A  fine  man  in  the  prime  of 
life.  That  he  should  go  first  and  I  remain!  He 
had  a  stroke,  you  know ;  seized  in  the  old  Tower. 
Astronomy  was  his  favorite  pursuit.  A  scholarly 


AULNAY  TOWER.  337 

man,  my  poor  friend  the  abbe^ —  a  sad,  sad  loss  to 
me !  To  think  he  should  be  taken  first  into  '  the 
poppied  sleep/  as  the  poet  says,  —  'the  poppied 
sleep.'"  Then  he  would  smile  in  his  far-off  way, 
and  speak  of  the  weather,  and  the  village,  in  which 
he  took  much  interest. 

In  the  largest,  airiest  room  overlooking  the  park, 
a  long,  still  work  was  begun,  —  a  work  of  unwearying 
care  and  patience,  of  inexhaustible  tenderness,  ardu 
ous  in  its  simplicity,  exclusive,  soul-absorbing.  Is  it 
a  light  task  to  sit  in  a  low  chair  hour  after  hour  by 
an  invalid's  bedside,  to  watch  his  sleep,  to  renew  the 
cool  bandage  on  a  burning  wound,  to  moisten  his 
parched  lips  with  a  strengthening  drink,  to  administer 
a  quieting  medicine,  to  deftly  turn  a  pillow  making 
it  light  and  cool  to  the  weary  head  ?  Yet  who  may 
estimate  the  weight  of  anxiety,  the  painful  soul- 
tension,  with  which  one  hangs  on  every  quiver  of 
an  eyelash,  on  every  trembling  of  the  lip,  on  every 
faint,  faint  breath  ?  Upon  one  moment's  sleep,  one 
moment's  forgetfulness,  the  life  of  a  human  soul  may 
depend.  In  the  solemn  night  little  acts  of  succor  are 
pregnant  with  magnitude  and  meaning.  Slowly  and 
heavily  fall  the  otherwise  fleeting  seconds  into  the 
illimitable  sea  of  eternity.  The  rush  and  pressure, 

22 


338  A  ULNA  Y  TOWER. 

the  striving  and  noise  of  the  tumultuous  world  with 
out,  grows  petty  and  colorless  in  contrast  to  the 
still,  white  bed  on  which  the  loved  one  lies.  Four 
walls  enclose  one's  whole  future,  all  one's  hope ;  and 
the  sacred  present  task  is  to  arrest  the  cold  hand  of 
the  weird  sister,  already  poised  above  the  precious 
vital  thread.  Like  a  fragile  spring  blossom  raising 
its  timid  head  among  the  snow-drifts,  still  threatened 
by  the  wintry  blast,  the  longed-for  convalescence 
creeps  softly  on.  Then  the  heart  of  the  watcher  in 
its  joy  is  stirred  with  solemn  thought  of  the  infinite, 
the  unknowable.  What  is  human  life  ?  A  breath. 
Yet  to  what  strength,  to  what  heights  does  it  not  rise  ? 
Whence  does  it  come  ?  Whither  does  it  go,  with  its 
capacity  for  bliss,  for  sorrow,  for  power,  and  for 
infinite  aspiration  ?  Gazing  in  tenderness  upon  the 
beloved  face,  its  pallor  warmed  at  last  by  the  angel  of 
life,  the  whole  world  sinks  into  nothingness,  and  in 
the  soul  rings  a  vast  psean  of  thankfulness  and  love. 
Through  all  these  still  soul-paths,  far  from  the 
surging  multitude,  Countess  Nathalie  wandered,  as 
day  and  night  she  watched  by  Max  von  Nordenfels' 
bedside.  Trembling,  hoping,  fearing,  trusting,  she 
performed  with  outward  calm  the  duties  of  each 
monotonous  hour,  and  her  great  eyes  would  search 


A  ULNA  Y  TOWER.  339 

with  anxious  scrutiny  every  feature  of  his  face. 
It  was  long  before  hope  dawned  with  certainty. 
But  the  severe  wound-fever  was  over,  the  ball  had 
been  successfully  extracted ;  now  only  one  crisis 
remained.  Then  would  come  the  slow  strengthening 
of  the  shattered  nervous  system. 

Perfect  quiet  was  ordered  as  an  indispensable  con 
dition  of  his  recovery.  It  was  a  happy  circumstance 
for  him  that  silence  was  possible,  since,  thanks  to  the 
capitulation,  the  thunder  of  the  artillery  had  now 
ceased,  and  stillness  prevailed  everywhere.  In  the 
chateau  court-yard  were  no  hurrying  spurred  feet; 
in  the  village  no  imperious,  metallic  sounds,  no 
marching  squadrons.  The  great  park  stretched  itself 
out  in  restfulness ;  the  Tower  watched  and  waited  in 
monumental  repose.  Blackbirds  that  had  dared  to 
brave  the  bitter  winter  chirped  cheerily  in  the  shrub 
bery  by  the  broad  windows.  No  harsh  tone  reached 
the  invalid.  Cool,  fresh,  and  airy,  his  room  was 
made  for  him  as  refreshing  and  as  kindly  as  gentle 
thought  could  devise.  In  weakest  meditation  he 
studied  the  ceiling  and  the  old-fashioned  cretonne 
on  the  wall:  Often  the  outlines  of  one  pink  con 
volvulus  were  all  his  indolent  brain  could  grasp 
before  sinking  off  into  somnolence. 


340  AULNAY  TOWER. 

No  one  might  speak  to  him.  No  question  of  his 
might  be  answered.  Only  with  a  glance,  a  smile, 
was  she  permitted  to  reply,  when  his  languid  spirit 
awoke  sufficiently  to  manifest  any  consciousness  of 
the  outer  world. 

But  her  silent  language  was  rich  in  eloquence,  and 
a  warm,  pure  light  shone  from  her  tender  eyes  upon 
the  pale  face  of  her  sleeping  lover,  to  whose  every 
breath  she  listened,  thankful  beyond  all  measure 
when  at  length  its  soft  regularity  comforted  her  soul. 
After  the  martial  uproar,  after  the  danger,  after  the 
strife,  the  fear,  and  the  agony,  she  thought  she  was  in 
heaven  when  Aulnay  grew  peaceful  all  around,  and 
the  courageous  blackbirds  chirped  cheerily,  and  the 
dear  face  on  the  pillow  began  to  wear  a  look  of  this 
world  and  not  another. 

Faint  yet  wonderful  was  the  responsive  language  of 
his  eyes.  Their  silent  power  followed  her  unceas 
ingly.  The  eager  eyes  that  had  studied  the  vast 
firmament  with  its  innumerable  stars,  that  had  asked 
of  the  everlasting  hills  their  secret,  watched  the 
eternal  ebb  and  flow  of  the  restless  sea,  and  with 
the  arrogance  of  strong  young  manhood  demanded 
the  reason  and  purpose  of  all  nature,  now  rested  in 
supreme  content  upon  one  form. 


AULNAY  TOWER.  341 

Between  the  lines  of  the  world's  sweetest  poet 
remains  still  unsung  what  Nordenfels'  eyes  said  to 
Nathalie  in  those  long,  still  days  of  convalescence. 
Eyes  that  have  beheld  the  open  grave  and  the  long 
rest  beyond,  that  have  grown  unaccustomed  to  reflect 
the  thin  and  changing  pictures  of  this  world,  assume 
a  deep  and  limpid  light  all  their  own.  Purer,  more 
transparent,  more  divine  the  sufferer's  eyes  became, 
because  their  meaning  rose  unclouded  from  his  soul. 
A  whole  history,  a  thousand  passionate  poems,  they  re 
lated  to  her, —  a  world  of  reminiscence  of  happy  child 
hood,  and  for  the  future,  hopeful,  glorious  dreams. 

And  her  sweet  eyes  grew  dim  and  veiled  with  tears 
in  mute  response.  She  knew  all  he  would  say,  and 
in  those  long  night-watches  her  whole  life,  spiritual 
and  clear,  outlined  itself  before  him.  What  he  sought, 
what  she  sought,  was  the  same.  She  questioned, 
doubted,  struggled  no  longer.  Every  transient,  fine 
shade  of  meaning  on  the  dear  white  face  she  inter 
preted  as  the  reflection  of  her  own  soul. 

One  day,  when  she  gave  him  a  cooling  drink,  his 
long,  thin  fingers,  releasing  the  cup,  clasped  her  hand, 
wound  themselves  so  closely  around  it,  drew  it  so 
warmly  to  his  breast,  that  the  color  mounted  to  her 
temples.  And  after  that  his  gaze  rested  upon  her  with 


342  AULNAY  TOWER. 

so  wonderful  a  meaning,  so  wistful,  longing,  thankful, 
and  questioning,  that  she  could  never  draw  her  hand 
away.  And  he,  faintly  smiling,  would  clasp  it  closer, 
and  so  charm  the  sweet  and  gracious  waking  dream 
into  his  blessed  slumber. 

Always  richer,  more  comprehensive,  grew  their 
silent  language.  Many  times  he  sought  to  speak, 
but  her  warning  finger  on  her  lips  checked  his  feeble 
utterance. 

But  the  man's  good  strength  grew  with  the  spring 
time.  Its  balmy,  fragrant  breath  warmed  his  pale 
cheek,  and  thrilled  his  soul  with  longing.  In  the  old 
park  the  young  blackbirds'  sweet  notes  gained  ful 
ness,  the  tender  thrush  came,  and  the  nightingale's 
passionate,  rapturous  song.  Life  claimed  its  own. 
Life  in  the  soft  grass  crept  over  the  meadows,  cover 
ing  ugly  stains  and  harsh  footprints.  Life  in  the 
village  brought  laughter  after  tears.  Life  stirred 
mightily  in  the  hearts  of  the  ancient  trees,  and  they 
awakened  and  renewed  their  youth  and  put  forth 
their  myriads  of  happy,  fluttering  leaves  to  drink  in 
the  sunshine  and  the  dews.  And  life  throbbed  in  the 
pulses  of  the  lover,  until  at  last  one  glad  and  per^ 
feet  day  he  opened  wide  his  weary  arms  with  a  trem 
ulous,  "  My  Nathalie,  my  wife ! "  And  she  for  the 


AULNAY  TOWER.  343 

joy  of  hearing  his  beloved  voice  forgot  her  colorless, 
lonely  past,  or  remembered  only  to  bless  it  with  happy 
tears,  since  it  had  led  to  him. 

Daisies  whitened  the  meadow,  children's  laughter 
echoed  through  the  village,  and  the  sounds  of  voices 
and  honest  toil  from  field  and  vineyard.  The  wise 
old  Tower  watching  the  turn  of  fortune's  wheel  had 
seen  and  known  much  and  remained  silent ;  but  one 
fair  June  day,  over  the  tranquil  plain  flooded  with 
sunshine,  peace,  and  promise,  it  roused  itself  and 
spoke,  flinging  its  message  far  and  wide  in  peal  after 
peal  of  jubilant  marriage  bells. 


University  Press :  John  Wilson  &  Son,  Cambridge. 


